Darkness Falls
by Razial
Summary: Leia has been corrupted by a dark jedi and now rules a new empire, a new rebellion struggles to for freedom whist Mara must help Luke find himself again so they can stop the darkness. Now crossover with JC Hattens Knight series
1. Default Chapter

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls Luke/Mara  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the star wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the star wars novels.  
  
Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi  
  
Summary: nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrsission and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly.  
  
(I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made)   
  
The shadowed figure walked silently through the streets of Coruscant hugging his cloak tight around himself making sure not to draw any attention to himself. He still couldn't believe he had come here after vowing never to return. But the force presence he had been sensing for the last week had drawn him out of hiding. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Whoever this person was their force presence was very strong. He was amazed that Ja'non's search teams hadn't captured them and started twisting their mind to the dark side. He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. He had to stay focused and make sure his shields kept his presence here hidden. His mind began to drift on how this had all come about, everything was going so well. The New Republic and the remnants of the Empire had finally called a truce. He had been training his sister in the use of her own force abilities, although she didn't have a lot of time to devote to her force studies she was becoming quite strong in her knowledge of the Force and how to use it.  
  
Then he had received a call from Han saying that someone had contacted him about wanting to meet the last member of the Jedi, that he had information about where an old Jedi library was hidden. He had quickly arranged to meet the man, intrigued by the possibility of finding more information on the Jedi ways. He and Han had used the millennium Falcon to fly to a planet in the outer rim where the man had said he would meet them.  
  
After a long talk the man had revealed he had been a Jedi apprentice who had managed to hide from the Empire's Jedi Purges, fascinated he had foolishly offered the man a chance to join the New Republic and help him search for new potential Jedi. He had never suspected it would lead to what it did, the lives that had been destroyed by him being too trusting. Thousands of people had trusted him and he had failed them in just one choice, he hadn't felt anything threatening from the man who finally told them his name was Ja'non. He had felt nothing from his scans of the man, felt nothing evil from him and yet he had turned out to be more dangerous than the Emperor and his own father had been.  
  
He quickly shook his head and blocked his memories; he didn't have time to feel sorry for himself. He had to stay focused on what he was doing or he would end up in real trouble. If Leia or Ja'non felt him he wouldn't have a chance to escape, as he turned the corner he heard the sounds of a struggle. He was going to ignore it when suddenly a cry for help raged inside his mind; the person who had drawn him here had used the force to call to him. He drew his lightsaber and rushed forward to see a tall woman with fiery red hair barely holding off three wookiee's with two blasters.  
  
He quickly ignited his weapon and swung the blade once for effect and walked forward toward the woman, she spun halfway to see him enter the fray and smiled grimly. He pulled a second lightsaber from his belt and tossed it to the woman who quickly dropped one of her blasters, and ignited the blade. The wookiee's retreated somewhat unsure how to react to seeing someone other than their master's Dark Jedi wielding lightsabers. He spun his lightsaber and then placed himself into a defensive stance waiting for the attack. The woman matched him after placing her second blaster back into its holster. The lead wookie launched himself at the woman whilst its two companions went for the unknown male who had interfered in their business, the woman stepped back as the huge creature landed and then quickly attacked, catching the wookie off guard. The male easily blocked the wild swings from the wookiee's' spears, he waited for them to try again before dropping to a crouch and swung his blade in a wide arc cutting through the first wookiee's legs. The second just barely jumped back in time.  
  
The woman knocked the spear from the lead wookie and then spun wide and imbedded her own blade deep into the creature's chest. It howled in pain as she withdrew it as it slumped forward. She turned to see her unknown helper cut down the last of the wookiee's with a wide-angle swipe taking the wookiee's head clean off. He faced the woman as he shut his blade off, he knew now that she was the one he had come to find. It was her force presence that had forced him out of his hiding place to find her. He watched as the woman approached somewhat warily as the blade he had given her pointed at him. As she stepped closer he gasped at how beautiful the woman was, her piercing green eyes seemed to glow with fire. She was dressed in a tight flight suit that fitted her body perfectly. He shook his head and cursed the way he had dropped his guard as he studied the woman who was now almost right in front of him. "Who are you?" she asked, "And where did you come from?" she added, keeping the blue blade pointed at his neck. "I heard you call for help," he answered trying to avoid giving her his name. "I didn't call for any help," the woman shot back. "Maybe none that you're aware of," he pointed out. "Are you one of their search dogs?" she asked her eyes narrowing. "No, but I am sensitive to the Force and so are you," he told her. "That's how I found you, I was following your Force presence," he quickly added as her stance became a bit more aggressive. The woman continued to stare at him as if waiting for him to try and attack her; he shook his head and slowly raised his hands in a gesture of trust. "We're in danger here, you must come with me," he told her using his force skills to do a quick scan of the area. "Where to?" she asked as she finally shut off her lightsaber. "Yavin 4," he answered her. "It's a planet full of both Jedi and Sith temples so they won't be able to locate us using Force scans," he added as she stepped a bit closer. "Why should I trust you?" she inquired. "I don't know, I only know the Force wants you safe. We must hurry before they send more searchers, if they learn I am here neither of us will be safe," he told her as he slowly reached out and grasped her hand and began leading her to where his ship was docked. 


	2. chapter 2

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrissian and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for being my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
He led her quickly through the back areas of the city making sure to stay clear of the shock troops who patrolled the city. As they neared the small hangar two shock troopers appeared in front of them.  
  
"Stay where you are," the first one said as he levelled his rifle at them.  
  
"What now?" the woman asked her tone somewhat angry.  
  
He sighed as he raised his hand and sent the two troopers back into the wall knocking them both unconscious, the woman glared at him as he led her into the hangar where his ship was hidden. Although it wasn't his ship by right, it had been the only ship left to escape in, the Falcon was one of the fastest ships ever. Granted it was an old Corellian YT-1300 series but with the modifications Han had made it worked well. At the thought of his friend, he quickly tried to fight the memory of seeing Han being beaten before he had fought Ja'non.  
  
"This ship is familiar to me," the woman said, somewhat confused.  
  
He nodded knowing she had most likely seen glimpses of it through the Force, or she had seen this event taking place. They quickly walked up the ramp and into the cockpit, he closed the ramp and began prepping the ship for take off. He noticed the woman was watching him as if she still expected him to try and harm her. He found it oddly amusing. Even after what he had told her, it was obvious she didn't trust people easily. He couldn't help but wonder what sort of life she had been living before her Force abilities had manifested themselves and led him to her.  
  
As the ship began to lift off they noticed four shock troopers entering the hangar, he just smiled as they began trying to damage the ship by firing their rifles at the engines. He quickly hit the thrusters causing the ship to burst out of the hangar, knocking the four troopers to the ground as they did. The Falcon quickly made it past the atmosphere and into orbit of the planet, he noticed two Star Destroyers coming towards them. He began making the calculations for the jump to light speed  
  
"We have to leave now," the woman said as she noticed the approaching Star Destroyers.  
  
He couldn't help but smile as he remembered the first time he had been aboard the Falcon with Obi-Wan as they fled Tatooine and he had been pressing Han to escape quickly as a couple of Star Destroyers came towards them.  
  
"Almost ready," he said as he raised the ships deflector screens.  
  
The Star Destroyers opened fire as they came into range, the Falcon rocked with the impact of the blasts as he keyed in the last calculations. He turned the ship away from the Star Destroyers and quickly hit the switch sending the Falcon into light speed.  
"We should be okay now," he said as he faced his companion.  
  
"They won't give up searching for me," she replied as she sat back in her seat.  
  
"For now they won't find you," he assured her.  
  
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see, now who are you?" she shot back.  
  
He looked away for a few minutes thinking about whether to be truthful or not, everyone believed he was dead. Ja'non had made sure of that, but he knew Leia would know he wasn't dead. He looked at the woman again and noticed she was studying him intently; he looked away again before deciding being truthful was the best way to gain her trust.  
  
"I'm Luke Skywalker," he told her.  
  
"Skywalker," she repeated confused. "You're supposed to be dead," she told him.  
  
"They want people to believe that, especially those in the rebellion," he said as he turned away.  
  
"Why have you let everyone believe their lies?" she asked, not understanding why someone with Luke's history would allow people to believe the Empire's lies.  
  
"Because I can't help anyone," he replied as he stood and made to leave.  
  
He didn't want to explain to her how he had failed everyone he had known, his friends, his family and everyone else who believed he could help bring peace to the galaxy.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked before he could leave.  
  
"I'm a failure, okay. They all had me pegged as some great hero. A powerful Jedi master but in reality I'm nothing but a failure," he spat before he exited the cockpit leaving her to her own thoughts.  
The two guards were pushed in front of Leia as she stood, her black dress clinging to her body, she looked at the two guards with a cold glare. They both tried to back away from her as she raised her hand.  
  
"You let her escape," she hissed.  
  
"She had help. The man who was with her, he could use the Force," the smaller of the two guards tried to defend himself.  
  
"You shouldn't have given him a chance to use it, you were given orders to capture the woman and eliminate anyone who got in your way," she reminded him as she let loose a streak of Force lightning, the guard screamed in agony as he fell to his knees.  
  
From the side a tall figure walked towards them, he was wearing a black shirt and pants and easily blended into the darkness of the throne room. As his face came into view the second guard began to shake in terror as he noticed the cold smile that graced the man's face. His eyes seemed to burn right through his soul, the guard tried to turn and run but for some reason he couldn't move his legs. He watched as his fellow guard began convulsing on the ground, coughing up blood, until finally his eyes rolled up into his head and his body fell still. He looked to where Leia now stood grasping her gold lightsaber. He tried to run again as she activated the blade, but his legs would still not move. She approached slowly making sure his pain would not end until she wanted it to.  
  
"Failure is not acceptable," she hissed as she raised the blade and brought it down hard cutting his left arm clean off.  
  
The guard cried out as he fell to the floor, he barely had time to breathe before she brought it down again cutting his chest open; she deactivated the blade and smiled coldly as she walked away. Ja'non walked forward and grabbed the guard by the throat cutting his air off as he bled to death. His body quickly went limp as he released him.  
  
"Dispose of them," he commanded to the two bodyguards, they nodded and quickly dragged the corpses away.  
  
"We have to find her, if we wish to draw Luke out we must have her," Leia said as she sat on her throne.  
  
"Skywalker would sense any attack on her, she is bonded to him as he is to her," Ja'non reminded her.  
  
"But he has no knowledge of his Soul mate, and even though we've tried to block him from sensing her it's possible the one who helped her escape us was Luke," Leia replied.  
  
"If Skywalker had been on Coruscant I would have sensed his presence," Ja'non said with a smile.  
  
"If we capture her, we could use her against him. Twist her mind and turn her into the perfect weapon to finish Luke," Leia said thoughtfully.  
  
"She has the potential to be one of the strongest Jedi ever," Ja'non said. "I have forseen this, and if she ever does meet and join with Skywalker they will be almost unbeatable," he added as he approached his dark queen.  
  
"Luke is no threat as long as he allows his guilt to control him," Leia told him with a confidant smile.  
  
"If they find each other they will be able to overcome anything that haunts them," Ja'non said.  
  
"They will not find each other, we have blocked Luke from feeling her," Leia said standing.  
  
"Their bond may be stronger than our power, they are destined to be together. It is the will of the Force," he said as he embraced her.  
  
"Time will tell," Leia said as she kissed him.  
Luke sat on the cold floor trying hard to keep his memories at bay whilst he meditated, but he couldn't stop the images from appearing. He remembered the first time he introduced Ja'non to Leia during one of their training sessions, he remembered seeing a small glint in the man's eye as he got his first look at his sister. That should have set off some warning but for some reason he didn't question him about it. He also remembered one or two incidents such as Ja'non touching his sister's arm and a slight waver in the Force, but again he didn't do anything about it. He opened his eyes to find the woman watching him keenly, her red hair was tied back and her piercing green eyes were locked on him. He stood up and stretched himself.  
  
"What were you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Meditating," he answered as he sat down in one of the chairs. "By the way, I still don't know your name," he said suddenly realizing he had stormed out of the cockpit before she could tell him what she was called.  
  
"Mara Jade," she said simply.  
  
He nodded thinking the name suited her perfectly, and yet for some reason he couldn't explain it seemed as if he had heard that name before. He shook his head and focused on Mara.  
  
"So what will we do once we reach our destination?" Mara asked.  
  
"I don't know yet," Luke replied hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions.  
  
"Will you teach me about the force?" she inquired her voice becoming quite serious.  
  
Luke stared at her as if she were crazy, how could a failure like him teach her about the Force. He had tried to teach Leia and she had ended up being turned to the Dark Side by Ja'non. He had no right to try to be a Jedi Master. He had already failed in that respect. He couldn't help but wish Yoda or Ben were still alive, he was sure they could have prevented this from happening.  
  
"Will you?" she asked again.  
  
"I'm no Jedi Master, no matter what you might have heard," he told her before entering the cockpit and locking the door. 


	3. chapter 3

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrsission and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for being my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
Mara looked at the door for what must have been the third time; Skywalker's actions were not what she expected. From what she had read about him she thought he would be very confident and strong willed, but from what she had seen of him so far he was doubting and fearful. She could feel the guilt radiating off him, he was locked in a sea of despair and for some reason she felt it was up to her to pull him out of it.  
  
Luke sat in the pilot's seat trying to ignore the nagging feeling that by meeting Mara he had set something in motion that was very important, he shook his head and checked the navi computer. They were at least nineteen hours from Yavin and that meant he couldn't stay in here for all that time. He would have to speak to Mara again.  
  
Leia watched as Jenna walked into the throne room. She was one of the strongest force sensitives that the search parties had found; she was a Corellian like Han. She had been working as a bounty hunter when Ja'non had felt her Force presence; it had been easy to turn her to the Dark Side. Her mind was strong, but her desire for wealth and power had been her downfall, She wore a long skirt which matched the jet black of her hair, her dark brown eyes were filled with anger and hate like all of the dark Jedi they had mastered. Jenna bowed as she stood in front of her, Leia just watched her. Jenna might be one of their best servants, but Leia could tell if she saw an opportunity to gain more power she would take it.  
  
"What is your command?" she asked.  
  
"The capture team failed to take Jade. I want you to take Waku and Tarrick and find her and kill the man who helped her escape, unless it turns out to be my brother," she instructed.  
  
"Skywalker... but if he is with her it will be difficult to take her without killing him," Jenna told her.  
  
"You will not kill him! If you do, then you know what will happen to you," Leia hissed as she stood up. "Luke will join us when we capture him, and Jade is the key to doing that," she continued.  
  
"Why don't we use Solo to trap him?" Jenna inquired making sure to keep her voice even.  
  
"Luke believes Solo is dead, and even if he didn't I doubt he'd take the chance. Solo may be his friend but Jade is so much more, even if he doesn't realize it. Once we have Jade he'll come, he won't be able to stop himself," Leia informed her.  
  
"Did the tracking station manage to find out where they had headed?" she asked hoping to find a place to start.  
  
"According to tracking they headed for the outer rim, but I doubt Luke went there," Leia told her. "Start in the Hoth system, Luke knows the system is a good place to hide, if he isn't there then go to Dagobah system, the Jedi master Yoda hid there for years," she added.  
  
Jenna nodded and then bowed before leaving to carry out her task, Leia watched her go and then walked to one of the windows looking out over the city. Once they had Jade Luke would come, then she'd turn both of them to the Dark Side just as their father had been turned. She smiled at the thought of having her brother serving her. They would be unbeatable then. With Luke and Jade on their side the rebellion would be destroyed easily, and then she'd make Wedge and Lando pay for disobeying her and Chewbacca would pay as well for killing Yarrick.  
  
Mara inspected the lightsaber Luke had given her; this was the first time she had seen one up close. It was a very light weapon, lighter than her blasters. But it was very effective, they had easily managed to take care of those Wookiee's. Granted she hadn't wanted to kill them but they had been left with little choice. She wondered how things were going to turn out. The galaxy was in chaos right now, the new Empire was stronger than the old one and the New Republic put together. The dark Jedi, who served as bodyguards for the new emperor and empress, were almost invincible, each carried a Blood red lightsaber and their Force powers were said to be deadly. So far only one of them had been killed and that was by the Wookiee Chewbacca during the battle to try and retake Coruscant. The battle was a disaster in itself but hope had been gained that someone other than a Jedi could kill them.  
  
"Are you okay?" Luke's voice startled her she hadn't seen or heard him come out of the cockpit.  
  
"Yes, I was just thinking," she replied as she looked at him.  
  
Luke nodded as he sat on the chess table Artoo and Chewbacca had once played on, he wondered if they were okay. He knew they weren't dead, he would have sensed it if they had died.  
  
"Luke why haven't you joined the new rebellion?" Mara asked suddenly.  
  
He looked at her in surprise at the question, he would have thought his responses before would have answered that question easily. "I've already failed them once I don't want to do it again," he told her simply.  
  
"What happened, what is this great mistake you're supposed to have made?" she asked digging deeper to find out why Luke had fallen into such despair.  
"I don't want to talk about it," he answered.  
  
"Please Luke, I need to know," she told him.  
  
"Not yet Jade, give me time," he replied although he did feel a strong pull to tell her everything, but he had just met her. He wanted to get to know her first.  
  
"Okay," she nodded; she guessed it would take time. She was not one to befriend many people and those she had, she hadn't told them much. She didn't trust anyone and yet for some reason she felt as if she could tell him anything.  
  
"They'll send out search parties, most likely searching areas they already know have been used by the Republic during the rebellion such as Hoth," he told her.  
  
"Why?" she inquired.  
  
"Leia will most likely believe I'd go to places I know, Yavin is not known by many people. That is why I hide there. I found it just after Leia fell to the dark side," he answered.  
  
"So we should be safe?" she asked  
  
"For a time," he answered glumly. 


	4. chapter 4

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrsission and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the Dark Side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
Han looked up as the door to his cell opened and Ja'non walked in, Han tried to stop himself from cringing but he couldn't help it. This man had almost killed him twice now during these torture shows he liked to put on, the first time Leia had been there watching with a dark smile. It was then he had given up all hope of recovering the woman he had loved so deeply, he still held onto a small hope that maybe Luke or one of the others would somehow manage to break him out of here but he doubted it would happen. From what he had heard the guards say the rebellion was losing badly on all fronts and Luke had vanished, most speculated he was dead. Han hoped that wasn't the case, he wondered if his friend was planning something.  
"Solo," Ja'non's cold crisp voice broke his contemplation.  
"What now, another session of torture?" Han asked trying to keep his act of arrogance up.  
"No, Leia wants to see you," Ja'non answered as two guards dressed in black approached him.  
This filled Han with complete terror, he had been shown some of the dark acts Leia had committed. The day before Ja'non had shown him the bodies of two guards who had failed Leia, he had almost been sick at the sight of them. Ja'non had just laughed at him telling him that the galaxy had no hope, Leia and he were invincible. Han had managed to laugh at that reminding Ja'non that the Emperor had once thought he was invincible and Luke had his father had taken care of him. Ja'non had just stared coldly at him and then reminded Han of the fact that Vader was long dead and Luke might as well be. It was that slip that gave Han hope that Luke was alive and just waiting for the right time to strike, he just hoped Luke would find the courage to defeat Leia.  
"Bring him," Ja'non said breaking Han's train of thought again.  
The guards grabbed him roughly and hauled him out of his cell and followed Ja'non to the waiting lift where one of Ja'non's dark Jedi was waiting. They entered the lift and the dark Jedi took Han from the guards who bowed and then went back to their stations. The lift arrived at the throne room and Han was dragged to the centre and then dumped on the floor, he looked around but saw no sign of Leia yet. He tried to stand but was kicked in the back by Ja'non.  
"You belong on your knees, Solo, especially in the presence of your Empress," he sneered.  
Han shook his head wishing he had the strength to attack Ja'non and to wipe that smug look off his face but he knew he'd be down on his knees again before he reached him. A shadow in the corner caught his eye and he turned to see Leia walking towards them, the black dress she now wore had streaks of gold and silver on it. The look in her eyes made Han wish he was dead, but Leia wouldn't let him die, she wanted him to suffer and so he did.  
"So why am I here?" Han asked once again trying to sound arrogant and unafraid.  
Ja'non went to strike him again but he halted when he noticed Leia shake her head, he looked down at Solo's pitiful form and then walked towards his Empress, embracing her just for Solo. Han looked away in disgust and anger, wanting nothing more than a blaster so he could send his tormentor to hell.  
"Han I know you're trying to act strong but give it up, you've been beaten," Leia told him smiling, however there was no warmth to this smile and Han just stared at her defiantly.  
"Maybe he'd like to hear the good news," Ja'non suggested coldly.  
"We just destroyed the rebel base on Cloud City, we were told Wedge was injured badly. He may be dead," Leia said smiling as she approached Han's still form.  
"Don't believe you," Han said.  
Leia's eyes went colder than they had been and she unleashed a Force bolt knocking Han across the room; she hissed, "Don't ever think me a liar."  
"Take him back to his cell and teach him some manners," Ja'non ordered Cyblek.  
The Selonian bowed and grabbed Han and quickly dragged him out of the room, Leia and Ja'non smiled, both enjoying Han's suffering.  
  
***********  
  
Luke watched Mara try and block the remote's shots with the lightsaber; he was impressed seeing as she had deflected nearly all of them. She had decided if he wasn't going to teach her then she'd do it herself, Luke knew the dangers that faced Mara if she tried to be a Jedi by herself so he decided reluctantly he'd help, but he would not be her master. Actually, he mused, he doubted anyone could be Mara's master, she was headstrong and had seemed to have quite a bit of strength in her.  
"Try it with this," he suggested tossing her the old helmet he had once practiced in with Obi-wan.  
Mara stared at it for a few seconds with a confused look, and then she turned to Luke for an explanation.  
"I had to train with the blast plate down, Ben told me that my eyes and ears cold deceive me so I shouldn't trust them. He told me to reach out with my feelings, I suggest you do the same," he explained to her.  
Mara nodded and then placed the helmet on and brought the blast plate down, inwardly she smiled. She had managed to get Luke to help, now all she had to do was keep him engaged in the activity and maybe then he'd snap out of whatever despair he was in and help her fully in becoming a Jedi and then maybe they could help stop the Empire. The remote stayed where it was while Mara prepared herself and then began moving again as she activated her lightsaber, the first bolt struck her in the leg and she hissed in anger but the next couple of bolts she blocked easily. Luke was impressed, it was clear to him she had a great deal of potential and could be a very powerful Jedi if taught properly. He sighed knowing it was up to him to keep Mara from falling to the Dark Side, but how, he had failed Leia in this respect so how could he teach Mara. Then it hit him, he could try and contact Ben or Yoda himself, they were going to a planet filled with Jedi and Sith temples and although it had been a while since either of his old masters had manifested themselves to him it was worth a shot.  
"Okay, I think that's enough for now," he told Mara as she deflected another bolt.  
"How did I do?" she asked as she deactivated her lightsaber and the remote once again went still.  
"Better than I did," he told her truthfully.  
Mara nodded and smiled happily at the fact that her first lesson had gone well, she didn't like failing things and this was important. She could feel it was, something told her that her becoming a Jedi was very important she just didn't know why.  
  
**********  
  
Lando watched as the few ships to survive the attack on Cloud City came out of light speed, he knew Wedge had been hurt but the last communication he had received had told him that he was okay and would live. He noticed Artoo and C-3PO coming towards him with Chewbacca close behind; he wondered what they were thinking. He missed Han, the few spies that had managed to survive on Coruscant had reported that he was alive but there was no way to rescue him.  
"Master Lando, the ships are requesting permission to land on the planet," C-3PO reported.  
"Granted, make sure Wedge is taken to the hospital straight away," he told the golden droid.  
  
C-3PO nodded and then headed back to the command deck to give the order, Artoo followed quietly behind. The small droid hadn't been very vocal since Luke had vanished, the reports from the Empire saying he was dead didn't help the rebellion too much. But the one thing he couldn't ignore was the fact that if Luke was alive had would come and join them wouldn't he? 


	5. chapter 5

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
  
******  
  
Luke brought the Falcon down close to the Jedi temple he had been using as a home; it was one of the biggest temples on the planet. He had found quite a few books on the history of the Jedi and had also learned of the war with the Sith which the Jedi had won. He looked over to where Mara sat in the co-pilots chair; she seemed impressed at the size of the temple. He had been as well but due to the circumstances of his arrival he hadn't the time to really appreciate it.  
"So this is where we going to stay?" Mara asked.  
"I know it's nothing special but it will hide us from any Force scans, the temple is pretty big so they'll be plenty of places you can go. The most important thing is that this temple is the perfect place to train to become a Jedi," he told her.  
Mara nodded as she looked at the temple again, it was quite big and she could just make out another in the distance. She could tell Luke was pleased to be back, most likely due to the fact that it was highly impossible for the Empire to find him here.  
"If you go exploring don't enter any of the Sith temples, if you do then I doubt you'll make it out alive. Especially if you have little training in the Force," he told her and by the sound of his voice she could tell it was important. She listened.  
"How do I know which is which?" she inquired as the ship finally landed in a clearing to the right of the temple.  
"You'll feel it through the Force. Granted, you haven't had much training in it but with your potential I think you'll feel the slight warning the Force gives you," Luke replied as she shut down the ship so no scans would pick up the power source.  
Mara looked at her companion for a few minutes and noted he was trying to avoid talking to her again, she could tell he was pretty tired and so she decided not to ask anything more. She followed Luke out of the cockpit and down the ramp, which he had activated, there was a slight wind blowing through the near by jungle. The whole planet seemed to be one big jungle with the temples spread out in certain clearings.  
'I wonder how both Jedi and Sith temples came to be built here,' she wondered.  
"I don't know how they did it," Luke said.  
"How they did what?" she asked, startled out of her thoughts.  
"You asked how both Jedi and Sith temples were built here," Luke said turning to face her.  
"No I didn't, I thought it," she told him.  
Luke frowned at this, he hadn't been trying to read her mind and yet he had clearly heard her ask the question. He could tell she too seemed a bit wary of this turn out, he decided to ask Yoda or Ben if he managed to get through to them. He turned and began walking again; it took a few minutes before he felt Mara begin to follow him again. This was getting stranger and stranger but he could tell the Force was pushing them along. He just couldn't tell what the Force wanted of either of them; he shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts.  
  
*********  
  
Lando walked into the medical bay followed by Barc and Wilson two of his most trusted lieutenants, they had been telling his about the losses they had sustained at Cloud City.  
"So, all together how many men did we lose?" he asked as they approached Wedge's bed.  
"Three hundred were killed and twenty five wounded," Barc informed him.  
"Inform all of our remaining bases to go silent, do not allow them to launch any ships or send any communications," he ordered.  
"Yes, sir," Barc nodded and quickly left.  
They stopped in front of Wedge's bed to find him sitting up talking to Ackbar, one of the few commanders from the original rebellion to escape the Empire's take over of Coruscant.  
"Glad you made it back, Wedge," Lando said as both turned to face him.  
"I was lucky, Jaxs managed to grab me when I went down and he carried me to the cruiser we escaped on," Wedge told his friend. "Jaxs suffered burns on his left leg when the cruiser was hit but he'll live," he added as an afterthought.  
"I've decided to let things die down before we try another attack. I'll see you later," Lando told him before turning and walking away followed closely by Wilson.  
  
**********  
  
Mara was sitting in her room trying to come to terms with what had transpired in the last few days. As she stood to go find Luke, a blue glow began to appear before her, she went for her lightsaber as the glow turned into the image of an old man with white hair and beard. He smiled at her gently, she kept her hand on her lightsaber as another appeared this one was smaller than the first and turned out to be a small green alien.  
"Hello, Mara," the first said.  
"Who are you?" she asked her eyes narrowed as if expecting an attack.  
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was Luke's former Master and this is Master Yoda," the old man replied.  
"Aren't you guys dead?" she inquired as she recalled hearing their names before.  
"Yes and no, we've ascended though the Force," Ben explained to her. "We can appear in this form at certain times," he added.  
"Why are you here?" she asked as she removed her hand from her lightsaber.  
"Luke is busy trying to contact us, however due to his state of mind at the moment we cannot help him," Ben explained. "It is up to you, Mara, to help Luke put the past behind him and help him to embrace his destiny again," he continued.  
"Why me?" she wondered.  
"You are not just a fellow Jedi, Mara" Ben replied.  
"Force mates you are," Yoda finally spoke.  
"Force mates?" she asked staring at the small green alien.  
"You and Luke are bonded by the Force, soul mates if you will, you are the only one who can help him," Ben told her. "What has transpired with his sister was not supposed to have happened. Anakin, Luke and Leia's father, is trying to contact Leia and trying to get her to stop this, but the Dark Side is too strong," he continued. "You must get Luke to put aside his guilt and his pain, then he can begin to prepare himself for what will come," he finished.  
"Which is?" she asked again trying to gain as much information as she could from the two dead Jedi.  
"Say we cannot, the Force is unbalanced and nothing is for certain," Yoda spoke gravely.  
Mara was having a hard time believing what she was being told, and yet a part of her seemed to accept it without question. The two manifested forms began to disappear as she heard the sounds of someone walking towards her room. She could tell it was Luke, she couldn't decide what to tell him and what to keep to herself until he was ready. 


	6. chapter 6

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrsission and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
Luke walked into Mara's quarters to find her practicing with her lightsaber; she was very quick with her thrusts and spins. All he thought she needed was a deeper knowledge of fighting skills, she would most likely out match him soon enough with time and practice.  
  
"You look frustrated," Mara said breaking into his train of thoughts.  
  
"What?" he asked startled.  
  
"You seem frustrated," she said again as she deactivated her lightsaber.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing really," he tried to evade answering, although he was surprised at how well she seemed to read him.  
  
"So what do we do now?" she inquired.  
  
"I guess I'll try and teach you as much as I can about the Force and how to use it," Luke said, although he still felt this was dangerous.  
  
"You still don't think you're good enough for this do you?" she asked seeing right through him.  
  
Luke stared at her in complete shock; it was as if she could read his mind and his deepest emotions. Which was impossible as he was shielding himself from her, he shook his head more confused now than ever.  
  
Mara kept her eyes fixed on Luke's blue ones, he seemed to be trying to fight of a wave of surprise at the way she knew what he was feeling. She didn't understand it herself but she bet it had something to with them being Force mates as Ben and Yoda had told her. She didn't know when to tell Luke about the appearance of his old masters but she knew at the moment he wasn't ready to know, she had to get him talking about what was making him feel guilty.  
  
"Hey Skywalker you still in there?" she asked hoping to snap him out of his shock.  
  
"Sorry. No, I don't think I'm the right one to train you but there is no one else," Luke told her, "But it seems the Force wants us to work together," he added.  
  
"I think so too," she said surprising him again.  
  
Luke once again looked at her but he couldn't seem to read how she was dealing with this. He sighed and decided he would try getting her to tell him about it later, for now he decided to start her training.  
  
***********  
  
Han cried out as Ja'non threw him across his cell, his cruel smile grew darker as he approached him again.  
  
"Leia will be down soon to talk to you again, I don't suggest you make her angry," Ja'non told him.  
  
"Why not?" Han asked trying to get to his feet.  
  
Ja'non's eyes flashed in anger at Han's question and he kicked him again sending him into his bunk, Han cried out in pain as he pushed himself to his knee's to face his attacker.  
  
"You're lucky she likes torturing you, otherwise, I would rip your heart out," he hissed as he faced the ex-smuggler.  
  
"Maybe she still has feelings for me," Han said smugly enjoying the look of rage that graced the dark Jedi's face.  
  
Ja'non raised his hand and unleashed a couple of Force bolts that struck Han in the chest. He cried out rolling around in pain as the attack increased, the attack finally stopped as Leia entered the cell. Han managed to look up to see the two kissing deeply; he closed his eyes, wishing he were unconscious.  
  
"It seems our latest victory has turned the new rebellion into a bunch of cowards," Leia said smugly as she eyed the broken figure of her ex-lover.  
  
"Don't bet on it," Han managed to spit out.  
  
Leia stared coldly at him as he pushed himself to his knees to stare back, his eyes were filled with defiance and hate and it pleased her to no end to know he was still fighting her. It meant she would have more fun breaking him; she walked over to him and knelt in front of him.  
  
"When we capture them you'll watch them all die slowly before your own end," she told him.  
  
"Luke will stop you before that ever happens," Han said with complete faith in his friend.  
  
"Skywalker is dead," Ja'non said trying to break Han's strong belief in his friend.  
  
"Don't believe you," Han said finally pushing himself to his feet.  
  
As Leia stood as well Han decided to take a chance and pushed her over and jumped Ja'non before he could strike. He quickly began strangling the man who had brought all this misery on the galaxy; Ja'non's eyes were now engulfed with barely contained rage and hatred. Leia came to her feet slowly a bit surprised Han still had the will to attack, she watched as he tried to choke her lover to death. She was surprised she felt a small tug of hope rush through before she stamped it out; she raised her hand and with the force slung Han into the far wall. He slumped down to the floor a bit shocked at the attack, before he could regain his feet Ja'non unleashed a long bolt of Force lightning knocking him out cold.  
  
"Next time he dies," Ja'non hissed at his queen before storming away.  
  
Leia turned back to where Han lay unconscious; she didn't understand the small rush of hope that had risen when he had been chocking Ja'non. Was it possible she still had feelings for him and wished him to take Ja'non's place; she shook her head, confused, before leaving Han to the coldness of his cell.  
  
**********  
  
Luke fell hard against the wall from the back kick Mara had executed on him, it had took him by surprise. It was not clear to him she knew how to defend herself with both weapons and hand combat.  
  
"Okay, that's enough for now," he said allowing himself to sink to the floor.  
  
Mara gave him a sly grin before sitting herself; she was obviously pleased with her efforts.  
  
"Luke, we need to talk," Mara told him deciding now was the best to start.  
  
"About what?" he asked looking at her intently.  
  
"Our pasts," she said watching him carefully.  
  
Luke stared at her for a few minutes as he battled with his emotions, for some reason he couldn't understand he decided to tell her about his past. The look in her eyes made his defences slip away and he dropped his shields allowing her to read him fully if she could.  
  
"Okay, but first lets get something to eat," he agreed. 


	7. chapter 7

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrsission and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the Dark Side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made.)  
Luke sat trying to ignore Mara's piercing stare, she had finished her meal pretty quickly and had then decided to study him.  
  
'Wish she'd stop watching me' he thought as he finished his own meal.  
  
"Sorry Luke," she said instantly.  
  
Luke's head shot up as she read his thoughts, it was just like he had answered her thought when they had arrived.  
  
"No problem," he replied leaning back into his chair.  
  
"So, what do you want to know?" he asked.  
  
"I wanna know what this big mistake is that you are supposed to have made?" she asked, keeping her eyes fixed on his  
  
Luke looked at her for a few minutes and then sighed, knowing it was now or never. "I am the reason why the new Empire is in control. I was the one who introduced Leia to Ja'non, I never even saw the threat until it was too late," he told her. "And even then I couldn't do anything to stop him, he was too powerful. He almost killed me just after he captured Han." Luke shook his head as the memories began to replay themselves in his head. "Leia was slowly seduced by Ja'non to the Dark Side, and I never saw it, I was too stupid and too damn arrogant to see what was happening," he hissed, disgust filling his voice.  
  
Mara sat and listened intently as Luke told her what had happened in the events leading up to the new Empire taking power, she could feel the self- hatred he held for himself, the disgust was evident in his voice. She could feel every emotion coming off him  
  
"Luke you couldn't have known what was about to happen," she said carefully.  
  
"I am a Jedi, or at least I was," he said, "But I didn't listen to anything. I most likely ignored any warning the Force sent me because I allowed myself to believe the tales about me. I was the great Jedi Master Skywalker how could anything get past me?" he spat as he stood up in anger.  
"Did any of the others suspect anything? Wasn't Solo dating Leia?" Mara asked remembering what she read about Luke and his friends. "I'm sure he would have noticed something if it was there to be seen," she added.  
  
"No, they didn't, but it wasn't their job to watch out for Siths, it was mine. I'm the last of the Jedi," he said turning to face her, his face contorted in pain.  
  
"Not anymore, Skywalker," she assured him. "I'm here now," she added softly.  
  
"You're not a Jedi yet," Luke found it funny that he was repeating what his father had said to him on Bespin.  
  
"Maybe not but I will be one," she said knowing it to be true. That was her destiny.  
  
Luke turned away. "The Force is unbalanced again and it's my fault," he said allowing his disgust to run through him.  
  
"Wrong, Skywalker. It was something neither you nor the Force could possibly see," she said, standing as well as she remembered what Ben and Yoda had told her. "Ja'non was supposed to have been dead along with the rest of the Jedi order, so when he re-appeared the Force couldn't or didn't detect him," she said trying to push through Luke's shields.  
  
"The Force sees everything," Luke told her.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," she replied. "The Dark Side, from what I have read, can blind the Jedi and the Force," she added as she remembered reading about the fall of the order.  
  
"So you're saying the Dark Side blinded my vision?" Luke asked her, a shred of hope flaring within him.  
  
Mara felt it as soon as he did. It was working. She was getting him to ignore his self-hatred and getting him to think "That's right, and if the old older of Jedi can be blinded by the Dark Side and there were more of them, then it's obvious that the last Jedi can be blinded as well," she finished for him.  
  
"I guess," Luke said, not believing that his disgust was vanishing as she spoke.  
  
"The Force couldn't warn you, Luke, and you couldn't see the danger because a veil of darkness had been put in front of you," she told him. "It could not be foreseen," she finished not really knowing where some of this was coming from just that it was the truth,  
  
Luke turned to face her and he could tell she had meant everything she had said, he smiled slowly which she returned. "I need time to think," he told her before leaving the room, hope flooding his very being.  
  
As Mara went to return to her own room she noticed Ben and Yoda reappearring.  
  
"Well?" she asked.  
  
"You have begun to put him back on the path, but there is still much to do," Ben replied.  
  
"Train both of you should," Yoda said. "Full Jedi must you be to destroy the Sith forever," he added  
  
Mara nodded, understanding the challenge she and Luke would be undertaking if he continued to listen.  
  
"I'll do my best," she said to them as she left the room, leaving the two spirits alone.  
  
"All our hopes rest with her now," Ben said as Anakin appeared next to them.  
  
"She will succeed, she is the only one my son will listen to," Anakin said sadly.  
  
"Help they will need, more Sith than Jedi there are," Yoda reminded them.  
  
"We will search for any possible Jedi whilst you help Mara bring Luke back into the light," Ben said with a nod as he and Anakin faded away leaving Yoda to his own thoughts. 


	8. chapter 8

By Dave Mycock Darkness Falls  
  
Luke/Mara Disclaimer: I do not own Luke, Mara or any other character from the Star Wars universe; they belong to George Lucas and the writers of the Star Wars novels. Set somewhere after Return of the Jedi Summary: Nine years after the battle of Endor a new even darker Empire rules, controlled by Leia Organa and a Dark Jedi named Ja'non. Han Solo is a prisoner of this Empire and a new rebellion has begun under the leadership of Lando Carlrissian and Wedge Antilles. Luke has disappeared after witnessing his sister's fall to the dark side and a titanic battle with Ja'non where he was beaten badly. (I'd like to thank Nikki for been my beta and helping me with the spelling and grammar and also pointing out a few mistakes I'd made)  
  
Anakin and Ben's spirits arrived on the planet that the strong Force presence had come from; they were shocked to find the planet filled with training Jedi.  
  
"How is this possible?" Ben asked.  
  
"This planet has been lost for many centuries even before the fall of the order. There is a Force presence of a Jedi Master here," Anakin answered as he led Ben onwards.  
  
He led them through the students who were training; they both noticed the lightsabers they were using were very old ones. Both Anakin and Ben were surprised to see so many Jedi alive, how had the Emperor not detected and then wiped them out. They came to a halt in front of what looked like a huge tree.  
  
"This is where the presence was coming from," Anakin said as he looked around.  
  
"It has been a long time since I sensed the presence of other Jedi Masters," the tree spoke with a warm voice.  
  
"Who are you?" Ben asked.  
  
"I was once a Jedi Master and this world was one of the best places for Jedi to train, but it was almost destroyed in the Sith war. I used my Force energies to guard this place; it has secrets that only a true Jedi can know. These students you see are survivors from the war, generations of Jedi have lived and died here but can do nothing to help the galaxy without a means to escape the planet," the being told them.  
  
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one," Ben introduced them both. "A lot of things have happened since your time, but at the moment we need the help of your Jedi," Ben told him.  
  
"Why?" the being asked.  
  
"There are only two Jedi alive at the moment, Luke Skywalker the last Jedi Master and Mara Jade the last Jedi Knight," Anakin answered. "They face an army of Sith, which no one could detect arising, not even the Force," he added.  
  
"How did this happen?" the being demanded.  
  
"I believe we should start at the beginning," Ben sighed and began to tell the old Master everything that had transpired since the end of the Sith War.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Han gasped in deep lungfuls of air as Ja'non continued to beat him mercilessly. His attack on Ja'non had made the Sith lord even more deranged than he already was, in Han's view.  
  
"You should count yourself lucky Solo, if not for Leia you would be dying so slowly you'd beg to never have been born," Ja'non sneered at him.  
  
"Not likely," Han managed to bite out.  
  
"Your defiance is really beginning to annoy me Solo," Ja'non said as he kicked Han's prone form again.  
  
"That's my talent," Han replied. "Never surrender, especially not to you," he added, managing to smile.  
  
Ja'non's eyes narrowed dangerously but before he could lash out again one of his servants entered the cell.  
  
"My lord, the Empress commands your presence," the servant said bowing respectfully.  
  
"Your luck will run out soon Solo, count on it," Ja'non hissed and then stormed out of the cell.  
  
"Shmuck," Han said.  
  
"Quiet, slave, or you'll bring more of my lord's wrath down on you," the servant hissed as he closed the cell door and locked it, leaving Han lying on the floor.  
  
"Let him come," Han replied before he fell asleep.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Lando walked into the command centre rubbing his eyes, he had gotten very little sleep. He was beginning to get very worried about the chances of Luke and Han still being alive. If Luke was alive, then where in the hell was he.  
  
"Master Lando," C-P3O said. "Admiral Akbar is looking for you," he continued as Artoo reeled past silently.  
  
"Thanks," he nodded and went in search of the Admiral.  
  
He found him talking with Wedge, who was finally out of the med bay, and Colonel Zars.  
  
"General, we've been picking up a lot of Imperial signals, it seems one of the Sith search parties has been dispatched, they've been sited in the Hoth System and now Dagobah," Zars reported.  
  
"They're searching for another Jedi potential to twist," Lando said.  
  
"I don't think so, sir, it appears they are looking for Commander Skywalker," Zars shot back with a smile.  
  
Lando's head shot up to look at each of them "Are you sure?" he asked not daring to hope that they now had confirmation of Luke still being alive.  
  
"In their last report to Coruscant, they reported no signs of Skywalker hiding in the old rebel bases and they were moving on to Tattooine, Luke's old home planet," Zars told him still smiling.  
  
"So they want to find Luke and are searching the old bases, but so far no luck which means Luke is most likely on a planet the rebellion never used as a base," Lando mused.  
  
"So what do we do?" Akbar asked.  
  
"Send out small search parties, have them search planets we've never used as bases, if Luke is alive and in hiding we have to find him first," Lando ordered feeling his old strength return at the thought of having Luke back with them.  
  
"Yes, sir," Zars replied and quickly left to carry out his orders.  
  
"If Luke is alive and in hiding why hasn't he contacted us?" Wedge asked.  
  
"Most likely because he fears Leia catching him, and who wouldn't. You've seen the videos our few spies managed to get out, how she loves to torture people." Lando answered with a shudder.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Ben and Anakin watched as the old Master thought about everything they had just told him. They had heard of certain Jedi who could use the Force in such ways as to transform themselves in the way he had, but to see it was quite interesting.  
  
"The galaxy has fallen into very dark times," the being mused. "Send Master Skywalker and Jade to me, guide them to this planet and from there we will train a new order to face this darkness," it commanded.  
  
"We don't have much time for them to train, the darkness continues to spread." Ben told the old master.  
  
"We will have time, do not worry and trust in the Force," the old master replied. "Now go," it told them.  
  
Ben and Anakin both nodded respectfully and vanished; they headed straight back to Yavin hopefully to find Luke in better spirits than when they left.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Luke sidestepped Mara's swipe and quickly came back with a side sweep that she easily jumped over.  
  
"Come on Skywalker, give me a challenge," Mara said with a smile.  
  
"Okay, you asked for it," Luke said as he launched a huge fury of swipes which Mara just barely managed to block.  
  
"Enough," Yoda's voice broke through both of their concentration.  
  
Mara and Luke both fell to their knees with fatigue as they deactivated their lightsabers; they had been training for five hours non-stop. With Yoda and Mara's help Luke had easily got back into shape, his lightsaber skills were returning as were his Force skills. He had recovered nearly everything that he lost since Leia had been turned to the Dark Side. His guilt, however, was still there and he knew Mara could sense it, but for now it wasn't getting to him. He was managing to keep it in the back of his mind whilst they trained and prepared to fight the Sith.  
  
"Good both have become, but still much to learn," Yoda told them as Ben and Anakin began to manifest into the room.  
  
"Ben, Father?" Luke said shocked.  
  
He had been shocked enough when Yoda had appeared just as he and Mara were about to begin meditating and now his father and his old master were here too.  
  
"Son," Anakin said with a smile.  
  
"Hello, Luke," Ben said warmly.  
  
"Help did you find?" Yoda asked .  
  
"We found a planet full of Jedi, protected by an old master," Ben told them all. "The planet was lost during the Sith war, and yet now it flourishes again. I believe the Emperor did not find it due to the Force shielding it," he added.  
  
"This is good," Yoda said.  
  
"The old master has commanded that Luke and Mara be taken there so we can train a new order to combat the Sith," Anakin told Yoda.  
  
"Then go we shall, prepare your ship," Yoda said facing Luke and Mara who both nodded and took off.  
  
"A second Sith war is about to begin," Ben said sadly.  
  
"Help it we cannot," Yoda said with a shake of his head. "The Dark Side must be defeated," he added as he, Ben, and Anakin vanished and prepared to guide the Falcon to the Jedi Planet.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Leia sat on her throne and watched as Ja'non finally entered, she knew he had been torturing Han again and she felt a growing sense of anger at her lover.  
  
"What is it my love?" he asked.  
  
"There is a disturbance in the Force, something I cannot make sense of," she told him as she stood.  
  
"I feel nothing," Ja'non told her.  
  
"They've found each other, our search teams have found no sign of either Luke or Mara," Leia said with a frown.  
  
"It is a possibility," Ja'non said with a shrug. "But they are only two Jedi we have an army of Sith," he added. "They cannot win," he finished as he turned and stormed away.  
  
Leia watched him go, her frown deepening. She was beginning to suspect that Ja'non's hate and anger were beginning to cloud his mind. She turned and looked out of the window and once again felt the disturbance in the Force. 


	9. Chapter 9

Darkness Falls Chapter 9

Chapter written by Hawklan with permission of Razial

Unknown System in the Outer Rim

The Falcon dropped out of Hyperspace exactly at the point where the three Force Ghosts had led them. After Luke studied the instruments for a while he thought 'Damn' and got directly a small slap against the back of his head.

"A Jedi Master doesn't curse," Mara said with a smile in her voice.

Luke looked at her and replied, "And a Padawan doesn't slap a Jedi Master on the back of his head."

Mara's grin widened as she said, "Ahh Master..., but those were the old rules. Now a Padawan has to do it, if the Master needs it."

Luke shook his head in amusement. He was still in awe that the little Minx had pulled him out of his depression, but the results of studying the instruments just made him curse.

There was nothing here, except the yellow sun of the System.

Luke looked at Mara and then said to her, "Looks like we miss jumped. There is nothing in this system."

Before Mara could say something, he heard the ghost of Ben say, "Use the force, Luke. The planet is exactly in front of you."

Luke looked at the ghost and then used his Force senses, but still saw nothing. He meditated for a bit and tried to reach even farther out with the Force, but even then he saw and felt nothing.

Frustrated he looked at Mara and asked her, "Do you sense anything?"

As she shook her head, Luke turned to Ben's ghost, "Sorry Ben, but for us there is nothing there."

Suddenly Yoda and Anakin appeared besides the ghost of Ben. They looked at each other a bit confused. "Strange that is," Yoda said.

Anakin nodded and continued. "Yes it is, for us the planet is right there on the front screen."

Luke looked at Mara and as she shook her head, he said, "We don't see a thing, not with our eyes, the Force or the instruments. It's just an empty System with a yellow sun for us."

Ben looked at them all and then said, "Now I see why Palpatine could find it. Looks like it is perfectly hidden and it seems like we need to talk with the Master of the planet again."

The other two ghost nodded and Yoda said, "Stay here I will, to the planet go you two will."

Anakin and Ben nodded and disappeared again.

Yoda looked at Mara and Luke and told them, "Time for training you will use."

Luke nodded and set the sensor to alarm him if something unforeseen happened and then Mara and he left the cockpit of the Falcon and entered the galley to start a bit of training.

A few moments later on the hidden planet

Ben and Anakin appeared on the planet. They watched the Jedi train for a few moments and then quickly went to the Jedi Master who turned himself into a tree, thousands of years ago.

"Greetings Master Kenobi and Jedi Skywalker, did you bring the two Jedi to us?" The tree asked.

"Yes and no," Ben replied. "Sadly we have a small problem."

"Let me guess. They can't see or feel the planet?" The local Master said.

Anakin nodded, "Yes, sadly. Do you know why and what they can do?"

The old Master was silent for a long while and seemed to be deep in thought. At least Ben and Anakin guessed that, because how do you see if a tree is thinking hard?

After nearly 5 minutes the branches of the tree rattled a bit and the Master told them, "I feared that this might be a problem. Only a real Jedi Master or a Force Ghost can see this world."

He looked at Anakin for a moment before he continued, "Sadly your son is only a self proclaimed Jedi Master, but just saying he is a Master doesn't really make him one."

Ben and Anakin looked a bit confused at tree and finally both asked at the same time, "Why?"

The tree Master looked at them and replied, "I see a lot of knowledge about our Order seemed to be lost in time. To become a Jedi Master the Force needs several requirements to be met. I studied the force presence of your son, Anakin and he might fulfill most of the requirements, but he still misses two."

Ben and Anakin looked a bit confused at each other and then Anakin asked, "And those two requirements would be?"

It sounded like the tree moaned a bit, before he replied, "The first one would be that he needs to train at least one Padawan and after that training is complete to let the Padawan take his trials and become a Jedi Knight."

Anakin looked at the tree and said, "But Luke trained his sister Leia."

The branches of the tree rattled again, before the Master spoke again, "Yes he did train her and the first part of the requirement was fulfilled, but sadly your daughter failed her trials and fell to the dark side and became a sith. So he still needs to train one Padawan successfully to fulfill it completely."

Ben thought about a moment about what the Master told him and then said, "Yes that sounds right, but he could still do that with Mara. Sadly that will take a lot of time we probably don't have."

Anakin nodded and added. "Yes time could be a problem, but that would still be the first requirement." He looked at the tree and continued. "What would be the second requirement?"

"The second one would be one that seems nearly impossible to fulfill after everything you told me the last time you where here. To become a rightful Jedi Master the last requirement to be fulfilled would be to be recognized by at least one living Jedi Master," the Jedi Master of this planet replied.

Anakin looked at the huge tree and asked, "Why would that be a problem? You are here and could do that."

"No, I can't," the tree replied.

Ben and Anakin looked confused at the tree and Ben said, "Why not? You are alive and you are a Master."

"Yes I'm, but the recognition must happen in person and as you know, I can't leave the planet and Luke can't come to me," the tree answered.

Ben nodded, "Yes that is a problem. What do we do now? There is no other Jedi Master alive as far as we know."

"In this Universe, at least you are correct," the tree replied cryptically.

Ben and Anakin looked at the tree again, even more confused than before. "What do you mean?" Both asked at the same moment.

"In this universe you won't find another Master. Yoda and you, Ben, were the last ones, but in the millenniums I spent here and trained Jedi I learned much about the Force, the Universe and other things. You know our Universe is only a small part of creation and there are other places."

"Other places?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, other Universes, which coexist with our own and the Force showed me a way to send a Force Ghost to one of those places and for you to get them here."

"Sounds strange, but I will go if we can find help there," Anakin said.

"Be warned Anakin. If I send you, it will cost a lot of your energy and you might not be able to remain there for long and if you then help them to come here it could cost you everything you have left."

Anakin looked at Ben and then at the tree. "Understood, but I will have to go to help this universe."

Anakin looked at Ben, "Tell Luke not to worry and that I'm proud of him, and as he proved with me, it isn't impossible to be saved from the dark side. Farewell my friend."

At a loss of words Ben just nodded.

Anakin turned to the tree again and simply said, "I am ready."

The tree was quiet and for a while it seemed like nothing would happen, but then suddenly Anakin's aura turned green and then he vanished.

At the same time on board the Millennium Falcon

After a bit of training with their light sabers, Luke and Mara meditate and looked in the force if they could find any clues about the missing planet. Suddenly Luke groaned, as he just felt the presence of his father in the Force vanish.

A while later

Anakin appeared suddenly again with a soundless scream of pure agony, after the pain ebbed away again, he felt really quite drained. It looked like the journey across the dimensional boarder took a lot out of him and if he wasn't already dead and a Force Ghost he probably would have died right here and now.

After he pulled himself together again he looked around and noted that it looked like he appeared inside a private cabin on a space yacht.

Amused he saw that his appearance wasn't noted by the three occupants of the cabin, who were quite busy at the moment. He saw a beautiful looking human woman who currently was riding herself to an orgasm on top of a young human male, who himself was busy with pleasuring her with his rock hard dick and at the same time used his mouth to give pleasure to a stunning young Zeltron woman.

Just as he wanted to make his presence known, the young woman spoke, "If you... gasp yes Xander harder... say a word now... yeah Xander right I am close...I'm going to find ...aaahhh Xannder harder...a way to hurt a... aaahhh...Force Ghost, I promise Granddad...yeahhhh Xander I'm cominggggg..."

Anakin looked in disbelief at the young woman, as she and the Zeltron woman seemed to come to an orgasm at the same time. 'Granddad?' he thought and after mustering the face of the woman he saw a small resemblance. Now he was curios to what he would find out.

After the woman, his granddaughter?, caught her breath again she spoke again in very annoyed tone, "Has no one on this damned ship every heard of privacy?"

Now the young man spoke up for the first time in an amused voice, "Hey sweetie, leave my ship out of it. It isn't the Enterprises' fault that the Solo's and Skywalkers doesn't know the meaning of that word."

As the young woman playfully hit the man on his breast for that, the Zeltron asked, "Anakin, is being green a form of blushing for a Force Ghost?"

Astonished all now looked at Anakin, including himself, he really shimmered in green instead of the usual blue.

"I would say, that would be because this isn't our Anakin Skywalker," the young man said and then continued, "Mr. Skywalker would you please wait in the galley of my ship for us? We will meet you there after we took a quick shower and got dressed. Then we can talk about what brought you here on my ship."

Anakin nodded and replied, "Of course."

He quickly went through the door and flew into the direction he guessed the galley would be.

Out of other rooms he heard several sounds, like music and other things, but after the show he got after his appearance, he was in no mood to find out more about the private lives of the people in the ship.

After a few moments he reached the galley and settle to wait for the young people to meet him here.

45 minutes later, after all a quick shower is kinda hard, no pun intended, with two beautiful women joining you

Anakin saw up as the three people, he saw before, entered the galley. After they all got a cup of coffee they sat down at the table and looked at him.

The young man spoke, "Mr. Skywalker was my guess correct that you aren't exactly from around here?"

Anakin nodded. "Indeed, I came here in the hope of finding help."

"I see, so I would guess again, that you have no clue about who we are and that you have never met us before from where you come? I could feel your surprise in the Force, as Jaina called you granddad," the young man said.

"Feel in the Force? So you are a Jedi young man? Sorry, but I can't feel you in the Force," Anakin said astonished.

"Yes, we all three are and you couldn't feel us because it's kinda normal for us to hide our presence in the Force, sorry about that. We know who you are, or at least whom you look like, so let me introduce us. Those are my wives Jedi Master Jaina Solo-Harris and Jedi Knight Danni Solo-Harris. I am Jedi Master Xander Solo-Harris," Xander said to the Force ghost in front of him

"And you are allowed to stay in the Order being married?" Anakin could help himself to ask.

"Yes, we are. The rules of the Jedi changed a lot here, since Palpatine and your counterpart of our dimension destroyed the Jedi Order and formed an Empire of terror. After your son Luke rebuilt the order, the rules were changed a lot, but that's a long story we might tell you later." Xander answered to the question and then asked, "So what brought you here on our ship? You said you were looking for help?"

Anakin looked ashamed for a moment as Xander mentioned the destruction of the Order and then replied, "Indeed. In my home dimension nearly the same happened except that my son never rebuilt the order."

In the following hours he told the three Jedi the story of his dimension and why he needed their help.

After he finished Jaina looked at him for a long while and the said in a shocked tone, "My mother a Dark Jedi and ruling a new empire?

Danni added. "And your father sits in her dungeon and is being tortured by her and her new lover."

Danni and Jaina looked at the husband and waited.

After a moment he asked, "What?"

"When do we start to help them?" Jaina asked.

"Uhmm..." Xander said.

At the same time Jaina and Danni said, "XAAAANNNDER!"

"Ok, ok. As soon as the upgrades to the Enterprise are finished and we have restocked our supplies, so much for going home to Shesharile 5. The work should be finished in a week. How are the repairs on your XJ, Jaina?"

"Nearly finished," she replied.

"Good than we will start our new journey in 7 standard days," Xander told the other three people in the room.

"Thank you. That will give me some time to rest as well. The journey was very tiring and consumed a lot of energy," Anakin replied.

"Ok, you rest then and we will go back to our cabin. We still have some unfinished business to finish there," Danni said smiling.

Blushing Jaina nodded and added, "Yes, that would be best for now. We tell my brother and the rest of our friends in the morning, which is in 3 hours...damn."

Anakin watched as the three stood up and quickly went back to their cabin to continue what he interrupted or to catch a few hours of sleep. He really didn't want to know, he thought smiling.

As a former pilot himself he was curios and used the rest of the night to explore the ship, except the private rooms.

Back in Anakin's home dimension Luke continued to train Mara, as best as he could with help from Ben and Yoda. Learning that he was not truly a Jedi Master yet, was kind of a letdown, but it did confirm his own feelings on the matter. He was worried by what his father was attempting to do, but he was confident his father could find and locate help in the universe he had traveled to and would be back soon. What he was truly worried about, was confronting Leia once more.

He still had not gotten over his last confrontation with her. Seeing his twin so twisted by the darkside was hard to take and what was even worse, were her actions. For an instant his control slipped and he cursed, as he felt Leia briefly through the force, before he cut the link. He sighed and hoped he never did that again.

Across space Leia sat watching Han resist Ja'non's attempt to torture him some more. She loved watching this, as it was like a play to her. Han's resistance was truly pleasing to her, as when he finally broke she knew it would be all the more devastating. This is what she was waiting for.

She paused as she felt a shift in the force and frowned, wondering why she had felt for an instant a pull on her link to Luke, before it had gone dead again. What was her brother up to that his control would slip, even for an instant?

It was not enough to locate him, but for an instant she had felt what he was feeling and she was angered to know he was no longer bogged down by guilt and pain. Clearly her idea had been right and he and Mara had indeed hooked up.

Ja'non was becoming more and more erratic and if he could not feel what she had felt, he was too wrapped up in punishing Han. She frowned and began to plan her eventual reunion with her twin.

Note: This is not the official part 3 of Hatten's Knight verse stories "Knight away" and "Knight no more". This is a small spin-off to those awesome stories. If you are reading this on ficsite or TTH you can find those two stories by clicking on the series link at the start of this story or by looking under the name JCHatten on TTH or Hatten_JC on ficsite. You will find those and his other awesome stories there.

Additional Disclaimer: Xander and all things regarding BTVS belong to Joss Whedon. Star War to George Lucas and the versions of the characters were created by Hatten for his Knight Verse stories and used with his permission.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 by Hawklan and Razial

Darkness Falls Chapter 10

A week later

Han lay in his cell and was waiting on Ja'non to torture him again. In the last few days that damned Dark Jedi had increased the torture more and more and Han couldn't even guess how much longer he would be able to survive this. Leia was seldom with Ja'non anymore when he came, but he seemed to enjoy torturing Han more and more.

Suddenly Han listened up as he heard strange gurgling sounds from outside his cell doors.

Earlier

Xander and his wives had introduced the other Anakin in the morning to the rest of his crew and they were told what had been planned. He had asked for volunteers who wanted to go with them and to their credit everyone agreed to come with them. Sadly he couldn't take them all, because they would need a bit of space in the ship.

After a long discussion it was decided that Willow, Riley, Lexa and Anakin would remain at home.

So Xander's Ghtroc called "Enterprise" had the following crew for this journey.

Jedi Master Xander Solo-Harris & Jaina Solo-Harris  
Jedi Knight Danni Solo-Harris  
Jedi Padawan Dawn Summers  
Force Guardian Buffy Summers & Rona

Granted those were not much to fight an Empire, but they would just go there to help out. While their friends, who would remain at home, were traveling on to Shesharile 5, the remaining crew finished the upgrades and repairs to the Enterprise and Jaina's XJ-Wing. With the help of Lando's technicians they had both ready in a couple of days.

They quickly lifted off from Lando's repair station and in deep space Xander and Dawn opened a dimensional rift, under the guidance of Anakin, so that they would travel to the right place.

Both had to concentrate hard, but finally they opened a rift without to many difficulties.

Jaina who had waited for the opening of the rift piloted the Enterprise into the rift and then they appeared in their targeted dimension.

After they were through the rift Xander and Dawn closed it again and then passed out right away.

While Xander and Dawn rested for a bit, Jaina placed the Enterprise into the shadow of a huge asteroid, so that they wouldn't be spotted directly by the ships which were patrolling the system they landed in.

At the same time Danni tried, with the help of the sensor, to find out where they had landed exactly.

After Xander and Dawn were awake again, they all met in the galley to discuss what to do next.

Buffy prepared a nice Cacao for all of them and as she sat down at the table and looked at Xander she asked, "So Xander, what do we do now?"

Xander looked first at her, then at the rest of his crew, the ghost of Anakin and then said, "That depends on where exactly we are at the moment. Has anyone used the time to find that out?"

Danni nodded and smiled seductively at her husband. "Of course Xander, while you slept, your wives were at work. Jaina has hidden the Enterprise and I used the sensors to pinpoint our location. We are in a small system called 'Nuramar' which is only six light years away from Coruscant. It only has one planet, which is uninhabited, but due to the closeness to Coruscant it has a small garrison and a small space station for a small guard fleet."

Jaina added. "While we were hidden here and you and Dawn rested, a small flight wing checked out the area where the rift had opened, but after they didn't find anything they returned to their patrol. Because we are so near to Coruscant, I would suggest that we try to free my father first and then head to Uncle Luke."

Xander thought for a moment and then said. "Yes, I think that should be our next step also." He looked at Anakin and asked him. "Can you help us to find out where Han is on Coruscant?"

With a sad impression on his face Anakin shook his face and answered, "Sadly no. The Darkside is to strong on Coruscant right now and I can't go there, but from my time as Darth Vader I would guess that he is in the Imperial prison cells directly under the palace, so that Leia and Ja'non would have a quick access to him."

Rona looked at the ghost and said to him, "If you were just half as sneaky in your time as Vader, as your grandson Anakin is, you probably have put a few back-doors in the computer systems or not? Can't we try to use those to find out?"

Anakin smiled at her and nodded. "Indeed, in my time as Vader I added a lot of back-doors into the computer systems of the palace and a few of them should even be still there, regardless of how often they wiped or upgraded the systems, which probably wasn't too often. After all people don't like unnecessary work and why change a running system? But we should use those to sneak into the palace, instead of trying to get into the systems remotely, less chance of being detected."

After a few hours of discussion they worked out a plan and then Xander got into the cockpit. They flew to Kuat where Xander, Buffy and Danni left the Enterprise and bought a ticket to Coruscant. They planned to get there without being noticed. The others stayed on the Enterprise and took off again for their part of the plan.

A few days later they landed on Coruscant with a shuttle from the ship they had bought a passage on to Coruscant. Posing as a trader under the name Rednax they got easily through customs with their single crate of sampling goods.

They booked a room in a hotel, not to far from the palace.

Xander looked around the luxurious suite they were in and felt a bit out of place. After all, living mostly on the Enterprise or in his Jedi Academy on Shesharile 5 he really wasn't accustomed to so much space in a room.

A few moments later he looked at Danni, his wife, and Buffy and said, "We still have a few hours until darkness falls and if all goes to plan Jaina and the other should be on station when we need them. Let's get our stuff out of the crate and then we will get ready to get Han.

Quickly the three emptied the crate of the goods they used to hide their equipment in and finally they reached the part where Xander has concealed the equipment. Using the Force he got the concealed part out of the crate.

Danni opened it and got their equipment out and spread it out on the big and comfortable looking bed. 'A shame Xander and I don't have time to test it out,' she thought while she readied the armor and weapons.

A few hours later Xander quickly dressed in his black and green armor, while Danni slipped into hers, which was dark red on the back with softer red-pink on the front.

After Danni was ready she helped Buffy into her simpler armor, which was in a mix of yellow and red colors.

When they were ready with dressing into their armor, they armed themselves and then Xander spoke again. "Ok, we head out in a few moments. Remember to stay near me, so that I can conceal our presence."

The other two just nodded and then the small team left the hotel unseen.

Half an hour later they reached a small service entry, which Anakin had described to them. Usually it was used to supply the Prison of the palace.

Danni looked at the service pad and quickly entered the code 'DV-IMP501st' and with a small 'whoosh' the door slid open. The three quickly went through the door and closed it after them again.

Using the plan of the building, which they had created with the information they got from Anakin, they quickly reached the area where the prison cells where located.

After they took a quick look around, Xander said, "Ok there are 10 cells and five guards. Two in the guard station over there, two in front of that cell and one in front of the last cell. Danni you take the two in the station, Buffy the one at the last cell and I the two in front of the cell there."

The other two nodded in agreement and while they took care of their targets, Xander snuck to his two targets. With a quick stroke he hit the windpipe of one of the guards who then went down with gurgling sounds and the other one he hit with a quick strike to the temple.

After his targets were down he quickly looked around and noted that Buffy and Danni had taken care of theirs also.

He used a nudge with the Force and the door to the cell slid open.

Suddenly the door slid open and Han saw an armored figure standing before the door and his two guards lying on the floor.

Surprised he asked, with a voice which was raw from screaming during all the tortures, "Who are you?"

The figure entered the cell and answered, "I'm Jedi Master Xander Harris-Solo and we are here to rescue you."

Han looked up again and asked again, "Solo?"

Xander paused unsure how to actually respond to that considering what this Han must have been through, but he had to say something and he guessed anything would do. "I'll explain everything later Han, when we get out of here. Now can you walk?" he asked.

Han stared at the kid with a critical eye, before nodding his head and slowly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain he felt from his body. He would not die down here, if he could help it and he sure as hell would not give in. If this was truly a rescue he was all for it and so put everything he had left into moving. He accepted the blaster Xander handed him and felt much better now that he was armed.

"We move as quickly as we can and stay close," Xander told him, before moving out and heading to meet up with Buffy and Danni, who had freed the other prisoner, who all looked not their best, so they could be extracted through the ring transporters.

First of course they had to make it out of the palace onto either a landing platform or a normal balcony which could fit the rings. He was pushing his force senses out as far as he could, but so far he could detect no sign of a Dark Jedi which was strange. He halted suddenly after turning around a corner, which led to a balcony, as a black cloud of dark side energy exploded onto his senses behind them. Cursing he turned around and found three people at the end of the corridor, one with a red lightsaber and the other two with blaster rifles.

"I don't know who you are Jedi or how you survived our purge or hunting parties, but you will not leave here alive," Ja'non spat, annoyed that his favorite prisoner had almost escaped.

"It doesn't matter who we are, the fact we are here is all that counts," Xander replied, as he slowly let go of Han and ignited his own lightsaber and began to advance, intent on killing the corrupter of this dimensions Leia.

The clash of blades was intense and sparks flew as they began to duck, swipe and thrust their weapons at each other. The two guards with Ja'non did nothing, but watch. Clearly this Dark Jedi was very sure of himself. Xander jumped over another wide slash and then let loose a force push which knocked the man off balance slightly, but he quickly recovered and lashed out with force lightening which Xander blocked with his lightsaber.

Xander quickly used his own powers to send a nearby ornament into the dark one, which stopped the attack and allowed him to strike. Ja'non avoided it, but as he turned to strike back a blaster bolt struck him right in the heart and the only thing he had time to do was look in the direction of Han who glared at him.

Xander only paused for a second, before decapitating the two guards who were very slow in responding to their lord's death. He looked back at Han, who was now being supported by Danni and noted the look of satisfaction on his face, before they moved on to the balcony.

"Ok Jaina, we're clear of the palace, home in on our beacons and pick us up. We need to leave quickly and we have a few friends in need of medical attention," he said into his com unit.

"On my way, did you find dad?" Jaina's voice came back a second later and he almost groaned at Han's wide eyed look at that comment.

"Thank you so much for that Jaina and yes we have Han with us," he replied and quickly held up his hand to forestall Han's questions.

He was sure Jaina had done that on purpose, but he was sure once Han had learned the truth of who they were then some real fireworks would go off. He looked up as the Enterprise came in above them and the rings came down, just as a bunch of guards came out of the door and began blasting away at them, but it was too late and they vanished.

Jaina did not wait before igniting the thrusters and heading for space, dodging the incoming fighters with ease. She was an ace pilot and she knew how to handle this ship. She quickly broke orbit and hit the darkness of space and began to set the navicomputer for the location of Hoth. They did not need to be followed and so she would make a few jumps to known locations before heading for Uncle Luke's location, just to be sure. She quickly noticed a Star Destroyer heading for her, but ignored it and hit the button that launched them into hyperspace. Setting the auto pilot, she headed for the back.

She found the alternate form of her father on a bed being tended to by Danni with the med kit, whilst Xander spoke to Buffy and both were caring for the other prisoners they rescued.

She walked over and looked down at Han and noted how beaten and worn he looked and yet she noticed the satisfaction in his eyes. He didn't' seem to notice her, as he had passed out and so she headed over to Xander as Buffy walked off to care for the next prisoner.

"How did it go?" she inquired.

"We got in ok and almost got out without any problems, but then Ja'non showed up and a fight started. Han took care of him, as Ja'non got caught up fighting me and forgot to keep an eye on everyone else," Xander responded. "A simple mistake, but a costly one for him, Han really looked pleased to be the one to take him out," he added.

"Considering the state he's in, I can understand that, so what are we going to do about my mother in this dimension?" Jaina asked while looking over the patient Xander cared for at them moment. "Kyle?" she said as she recognized the unconscious prisoner

Xander just nodded to the last question. "Not sure yet. I guess it all depends on how far she has fallen and if there is a way to redeem her." Xander said with a sigh as he finished his work on Kyle. He sat down on his 'monster' chair, joined a second later by Jaina and then Danni, who had finished working on Han and both snuggled into his sides. "How is he, Danni?" he asked.

"He needs some time in a bacta tank once he has slept a good while and he may take time to emotionally heal, but other than that he is in good shape all things considered," Danni answered.

Silence fell on the ship as the two girls got comfortable and Buffy headed for the cockpit to keep an eye on things.

(Coruscant)

Leia looked down at Ja'non's dead both and noted the blaster marks that indicated how he had died and she could even guess it had been Han who had been the one to kill him. Ja'non had gotten more and more careless of late and less helpful and now he was no more. This was not a problem, as she had long been training a replacement. A young female with great force potential, one of the teams had brought in a few years ago. Back then Kaira had been very timid, but now under her training, she was a very skilled fighter and force user and would be a very good apprentice and she was a great lover as well.

That change had came a year and a half into her knowing the girl, by then Ja'non had grown cold and useless in such ways only interested in killing everyone who opposed him and Kaira had been a wonderful surprise, when she had come onto her. She had not resisted, as she had been curious and now their relationship was solid and by being lovers she was sure it would ensure Kaira remained loyal to her. Another thought hit her, that with Ja'non's dead she was now undisputed ruler of the empire, this pleased her greatly.

She quickly gave the order for Ja'non body to be disposed off, before she walked onto the balcony where Han and his rescuers had escaped from, she felt Kaira come up behind her silently. It was no longer necessary for her to hide with the threat of Ja'non dead and so she was free to walk in the palace. She knew their enemies were building up their strength, if they could get into her palace and rescue Han as they had, so plans would have to be laid down and her forces readied.

"Tell the comm officer to send a signal to Jenna to return to the palace with her hunting party immediately," she ordered after a few minutes silence.

"Yes Leia," Kaira replied, before turning and leaving to carry out her orders.

Leia looked off into the sky and wondered if her brother had been a part of the rescue. If he had been that meant he was truly beginning to recover from all the guilt and anger that had been weighing him down since her fall.

Clearly Mara Jade had been all the more effective in helping him recover, this was something she had warned Ja'non about and he had ignored her. Now with him gone she would make her own plans to deal with the woman, who had helped her brother.


	11. Chapter 11

Note: Finally the next cowork from Hawklan and me. We hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 11

Several hours later the alarm in the cockpit sounded and told the crew that they had nearly reached their destination. Xander slowly opened his eyes and looked around. It seems like he and his wives had fallen asleep on the chair and both had used him as their pillow, which explained to him why he felt comfortable warm. He first gave Jaina a kiss and then Danni. "Time to get up, girls. We drop out of hyperspace soon."

A still half asleep Jaina mumbled, "Just a few moments, Xan."

"Ok my love, but don't blame me for anything that happens while Buffy is at the controls," he said with an evil smirk.

In the blink of an eye Jaina jumped up and without a word rushed off to the cockpit.

"You are evil Xander, you know that?" Danni mumbled not fully awake yet herself.

"Who me?" Xander asked in an innocent sounding voice.

Danni's only reply was to snuggle even deeper into Xander arms.

After a few moments, in which both enjoyed the warmth of the other, Xander carefully freed himself and slowly got up. "I will join Jaina in the cockpit, could you and Rona check on our patients?"

Danni nodded and gave her husband a kiss, which he returned for a few moments until he broke it. Smiling at his wife he hurried to the cockpit and reached it just in time to see the starlines from hyperspace drop and form to real stars again. While Jaina was busy with the controls he noted that Buffy was checking the scanners for everything nearby and he quickly checked their coordinates. "Good we reached Hoth as planned. Anything on the scanners, Buffy?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, everything is clear. No ships in the system."

Jaina looked up from the controls and said, "We should stay here for a while and see if we were followed here. I will hide us in the shadow of that moon over there and then we can wait for a while."

"Good idea that should also give us some time to talk to Han and Kyle," Xander said and then suddenly he had an evil smile on his face. "Jaina, I just got a nice idea," he said with the smile growing wider and wider.

"Yes?" Jaina asked curios.

"We have a nearly untrained Jedi on board who isn't a Master yet, like the Kyle we know," Xander said.

Now Jaina smiled evilly as well, "Oh...payback is such a bitch."

Buffy looked confused at both of them, but didn't say a thing. Sometimes it is better to not know something, she thought to herself.

A while later the Enterprise was parked in a safe orbit around the small moon Jaina mentioned and Jaina and Xander both got up. Before they left the cockpit Xander said to Buffy, "I will send Rona up to relive you soon, so that you can grab a bit of shut eye as well."

"Thank you Xander," Buffy replied. "I could really use that."

Arm in arm Jaina and Xander walked up to the medbay. As they entered it they both looked around and saw that both, Han and Kyle were still asleep. Jaina looked at their wife, "Danni, how are our two sleeping beauties doing?"

Danni smiled at her and then answered. "Better, the sleep helped them quite a bit, but I better wake them so that they can eat and drink a bit and then I put the first one into the bacta tank."

Xander looked at Han and then winced because of the short force vision he suddenly saw.

Jaina who noted the wince asked her husband, "What is it, Xan?"

"Nothing important and you will see soon," he replied and then turned to Rona who had assisted Danni. "Could you go to the cockpit for a while so that Buffy can get a bit of sleep?"

"No problem Xander, I got a bit of sleep while we were in transit. I go right now. I think you three can handle those two."

After Rona left, Danni started to wakeup Kyle.

(Enterprise)

Han Solo slowly woke up and found himself still free. He had convinced himself that being freed from prison had been a dream and that his mind had finally cracked. But it would seem it was real, stretching he looked around the medbay and then found his gaze drawn to the site of the young man who had helped rescue him leaning against the hull. He also noted they were not alone two women also stood in the room, one was checking him over and he guessed she was the medic. He also noted that he was close to a bacta tank which might explain why he felt so good and that it wasn't a dream that he woke up before, had nice meal and then was put into the bacta tank.

"Well Danni, how is he?" Xander inquired, not looking forward to this next part and he thought back to how Jaina's Han had reacted to finding out he was dating his daughter and then went on to marry her.

"He's good, the bacta has healed a lot of the injuries he had suffered and it has also removed some of the darkside energy that seemed to cling to him," Danni reported glancing up.

"Ok kid what the hell is going on?" Han asked, as he forced himself to his feet and moved towards him and the girl. "I want some answers as to who you are and why did you call yourself Solo?" he demanded to know. "And last but not least, who called me dad on that radio?" he finished with a glare. "Because I am damn sure me and Leia had no kids before she got corrupted," he added a second later.

"There is no easy answer to that Han or at least not one you will find easy to accept, but everyone on this ship, bar you and Kyle, are from an alternate reality where things have happened differently," Xander answered, running a hand through his hair. "The reason I called myself a Solo is due to the fact I married your daughter in her reality and added her family name to my own," he continued, only to wince as Han's fist came right at him.

He did not even try to block or dodge it and let it hit him. He stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. He glared as he heard Jaina and Danni giggle at his plight. They were in so much trouble later he decided, he glanced up at Han, who was glaring down at him.

"Don't ask me why I did that," Han said, as he relented and helped him back up.

"Most likely you don't like the idea of some punk marrying your daughter, no matter what universe she is from," Xander responded with a smirk. "Father's prerogative," he added, while rubbing his jaw. "Let's just say your other self wasn't too impressed either at the time, but Leia backed us up, at least in public. Offside she threatened things that still give me nightmares if I hurt Jaina," he added.

Han stared at the kid and the glanced at the woman next to him, who was still laughing and nodded her head in agreement with his statement. It was an insane story, but something inside him seemed to accept it. Maybe it was just gratitude for being rescued from Leia and Ja'non. The chance to finally kill the man who corrupted his love or just the fact he liked the idea somewhere out there he and Leia did get to have a family.

"Oh by the way, allow me to introduce you to Jaina Solo, your daughter from the alternate universe and our co wife Danni Solo," Xander said, hoping Han did not lash out again.

Instead the ex-smuggler glanced at the two women, who just nodded at him and wondered what the hell made the kid think he could deal with two lovers. After giving the kid a little glare he paid closer attention to the young woman, the kid claimed, was his daughter from another universe. She had a strong resemblance to Leia and had his eyes. She also seemed to have inherited his stance.

"You are a pilot?" he asked.

"Of course I am and so are my brothers," Jaina replied, sounding like she took the question as an insult. "You trained us all to be the best and we are," she added with a smile.

Han liked the way that sounded and then he felt the deep pain that none of that had happened in this universe, that Ja'non had taken it all away. He looked away for a few moments as he collected himself.

"So if you are from an alternate reality, how did you get here and why did you come in the first place?" he asked, as he sat down and ran a wary hand through his hair.

"The how we got here can wait till later Han," Xander said, as he sat opposite him, with Jaina on one side and Danni on the other. "What is important is that we were asked to come here by Luke who needed help. He sent the force spirit of Anakin to us, who made the request and we came," he explained. "Once we learned what had happened here, we set out to help in any way we could. We came to Coruscant straight away once we crossed over and rescued you and one other prisoner. However we had hoped to get in and out without being seen. Sadly Ja'non discovered us," he went on.

"Yeah well, he is dead and good riddance kid, he was a monster who corrupted Leia and almost killed Luke," Han shot back, consumed with hatred for a few moments, before he forced it back down. "He started the downfall of everything we achieved in the destruction of the Emperor and Vader. We almost had the Empire beaten," he added.

"Uncle Luke is waiting for us to meet up with him at a secret location, where we will start the next part of our plan," Jaina said, unconsciously using the familiar term to address Luke, not liking to hear such hatred in her father's voice, even if technically this was not her father. "We will also get in touch with what remains of the Rebellion and when we are ready, we will strike. If we can, we will try and redeem mother," she continued, hoping that somewhere inside Leia there was still some good in her.

Han stared at her and noted the naked hope in her eyes as she said this. He shared that hope, but could everyone forgive Leia, even if she did come back from the darkside? Not everyone truly understood what it could do to people, hell he hadn't really known until he got to know Luke and Leia and of course old Ben. That was so long ago now he mused. He wondered what kind of shape Luke was in after everything that had happened. Leaning back, his mind shifted to whether or not he was in any shape to help.

Xander and Jaina left Han to his thoughts and moved off to talk to Kyle now, Danni stayed behind for a few minutes, doing a final check on Han before she followed them.

(Coruscant)

Leia smirked as she watched Kaira move. Such beauty should be treasured she thought, as she watched the skin tight material show the curves she had come to love. They showed all the more as she went through the kata. Her mind briefly strayed to the newcomers who had rescued Han. The security footage had shown it was not Luke, Lando or anyone else she knew, who had rescued her former lover, but a small group she did not recognize. What had troubled her was there seemed to be Jedi in the group, maybe she had been wrong about how badly Luke was after her fall. Was it possible he had been staying away to train students? How many were out there she wondered? Not that it really mattered.

She doubted he could have possibly trained to many, and against her numerous Dark Jedi they hadn't much of a chance of defeating them, but she would not be as arrogant as Ja'non and take it for granted that she had the upper hand. Clearly things were not so much in the Empire's favor as she had thought, preparations were been made to prepare for an attack. The sudden opening of the doors to her throne room made her look up, as Kaira moved to her side with her lightsaber at the ready, she watched two of her Admirals enter.

"Yes what is it?" she asked.

"Empresses, the defense fleet has been repositioned as you ordered and the 1st and 3rd fleet should reach us and take up station tomorrow," Admiral Vega spoke first. "However the 5th fleet will not reach us for another two days, as they are still aiding in bringing Cloud City under our control," he added.

"All ground troops have been put on maximum alert and your personal guard has been doubled as ordered," Admiral Kragg said next. "Your Dark Jedi are patrolling the palace. However most of the teams are still off world," he stated.

"Good, we must be prepared for their attack and I assure you an attack is coming," Leia said, coldly glaring at both. "Ja'non was a fool who got complacent and now he is dead. I suggest, if you do not want to end up the same way you take every precaution you must to stop them when they come," she ordered, making both men snap to attention and bow to her. She also noted they trembled a little, as she glared at them and this pleased her "How soon before Jenna's team returns?" she asked.

"She should arrive in the early morning Empress. She was about to set course for Hoth, but she has changed course as ordered," Vega answered.

"Good, now leave us and remember, any breach of security and it is your heads that will be on the line," she told them with a cold sickly smile, that sent a chill right up both their spines, making them spin and all but run out of the room.

"Do you think they will come soon, Leia?" Kaira inquired, as she followed Leia to their bedroom.

"Not yet, while I think they are more prepared than that fool Ja'non thought they were, I do not think they are ready to take us head on," Leia responded, as she removed her garments and quickly got in the bed, joined a second later by Kaira.

Now she could forget everything else and just enjoy the few hours she would have alone with Kaira, kissing her lover deeply she wondered just what Han would think if he knew she had a female lover. Soon her mind and body was too occupied to think anything else, as Kaira took her over the edge.

(Rebellion hideout)

Lando and Akbar discussed plans and strategy over what to do next, both were tired, but until they had a clear idea of their next step, they refused to stop. Artoo and C-P30 watched silently from the side, suddenly Zars and Wedge all but ran into the room.

"News?" Akbar inquired, as he noted the looks on the two men's faces.

"Someone attacked the prison on Coruscant and got Han and another prisoner out," Wedge reported, ignoring the wince of pain he felt from the injuries he had sustained on Cloud City. "One of our few remaining spies managed to get word out to us only a few moments ago," he added.

"Luke, it had to be Luke," Lando said, with as much confidence as he could, as he truly wanted to believe it was him. "The Question now is where are they heading? We need to join forces," he added.

"Patience, I suggest," a new voice said and they all turned to see the force ghost of Jedi Master Yoda appear. "Young Skywalker has much to do and learn, before he rejoins you. In the meantime you must prepare for all out war," the spirit continued. "Soon the time will come, but not now. Now you must build ships, train men and be ready," he advised.

"Why are we listening to a ghost?" Zars asked.

"Because he was and is Luke's friend and teacher, which means he must have come on Luke's orders," Lando replied. "Tell Luke we will be ready," he said, turning back to the watching force ghost, having seen him once before, just before Ja'non came into the picture.

Yoda smiled and nodded and was about to vanish, when Artoo let out a couple of whistles and beeps, shocking most in the room as the little droid had been so quite since Luke went into hiding. "Tell him your message I will," he responded, before fading away.

The others were not sure he meant Lando's response or whatever it was Artoo had said, still it was the first time Artoo had said anything since Luke had vanished. They watched the smaller droid go off with C-P30 at his side.

(Millienium Falcon)

Luke watched as Yoda returned and told him what Lando had said and then also the message from Artoo. Smiling he stood up and headed for his room. He missed his friends very much, but now was not the time to rejoin forces. Hopefully Lando understood this. He also missed the almost constant presence of his faithful droid Artoo and wondered if he would be forgiven for leaving him behind when he had gone into hiding, he hoped so.

Mara watched from the back of the room, as he vanished and smiled pleased to see that Luke seemed to become more and more like she had always imagined him to be, still what lay ahead of them disturbed her, but she would not fail in her task and so she retired to bed as well.

(Hoth System on board the Enterprise)

Jaina grinned at her husband, who was still rubbing his jaw, and couldn't resist and said, "I think that I now know what your vision showed you, but if you saw that, why didn't you evade that punch?"

"An old and wise man told me once that sometimes it is better to take a hit, if it helps you to avoid a bigger conflict," Xander replied.

Jaina looked in faked shook at Xander, "Who are you and what have you done with that scoundrel who calls himself my husband?"

Grinning Xander opened the door to the cabin in which they had put Kyle and quickly entered the room.

Looking at the bed he saw that Kyle was awake. "Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. Kartan. How are you doing?"

"Fine, thank you. Thank you as well, for getting me out of that hole, even if I would have gotten out there soon enough myself."

"Of course Mr. Kartan, I wouldn't have thought anything else about a former Imperial Special forces soldier and secret hero of the Rebellion," Xander said with a smile.

Tensing up a bit Kyle asked, "How do you know that and who are you?"

"The force is our alley Mr. Kartan. This is my wife Jedi Master Jaina Solo-Harris and I'm Jedi Master Xander Harris-Solo."

"Jedi and you are married? How is that possible? I thought all Jedi were killed? First by Palpatine and Vader and then by Leia and Ja'non," Kyle said.

"That is a longer story and I will tell you about it a bit later, but for now I have a question. I sensed that you are force sensitive. Did you have any training so far?" Jaina asked.

"Nothing formal, only what I learned by myself while I was working for the Rebellion," Kyle replied and suddenly felt goose bumps going up his spine, as he saw his two visitors smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

(Hoth system on board the Enterprise)

After hearing the status of Kyle's training in the force, both Jaina and Xander had to smile. After a few moments Jaina spoke up, "Good Kyle, Xander and I have a small offer to make in regards of your training, but first we have to meet up with a few friends, because one of them will get the same offer as you. Rest up for now, you will need it."

Kyle nodded and couldn't help himself, but the way Jaina said 'you will need it' increased the goosebumps even more.

After the two left the small cabin with a 'See you later' Kyle grabbed something to drink and then did as Jaina suggested and quickly closed his eyes again.

Outside of his cabin Xander and Jaina paused for a moment and after Xander gave his wife a long kiss he asked her, "So what do you think where she should meet up for the training. Tatooine with its hot environment, Dagobah, with its jungles or do you have a better idea?"

Jaina thought about that for a moment and then shook her head. "I would say no to both choices. Luke has too much history with both and Leia knows about those places. If I were in her place I would keep an eye on those."

Xander just nodded in agreement and waited if his wife would come up with another idea.

"Why don't we use Gelgelar again? The Leia here doesn't know about that one and it was a good place to train," she said bringing up her own idea, just as Xander had guessed she would.

Leaning forward he gave he a long kiss again. "You always have the best ideas. Why don't you go up into the cockpit to Rona and place a course for Gelgelar?"

Now Jaina pulled Xander in for a kiss and then she replied, "Of course and what will you be doing?"

"I'll try to find our host in this galaxy, wherever he is again on the ship, and ask him if he can go over to Luke to tell him to meet us on Gelgelar," Xander replied.

"Good idea as well, should be a lot safer than using the Holonet," Jaina said and then pulled her husband into a deep kiss again.

"Urghhs, that's disgusting you two. Go get a room," the voice of the passing Dawn was heard.

Instead of breaking their kiss, they deepened it even more.

"Hello?" Dawn said with annoyance creeping into her voice. 'Damn, but missing Lexa and Anakin really made me cranky,' she thought to herself.

"Yes, Padawan? Can we help you with something?" Xander asked in a frosty sounding tone, which made Dawn gulp a bit.

"Oh, no I think that can wait for now," Dawn replied, turned around and as she wanted to start heading down the corridor she heard the voice of Jaina. "Xander, don't you think your Padawan would profit a bit from the training for Luke and Kyle as well?"

Xander sent a grin to his wife and said to Dawn's direction, "Dawn? You should go meditate a bit to prepare yourself for a bit of light environment training, as soon as we met up with Luke."

Dawn gulped again. "Yes, Xander, thank you for the advice," she replied and then hurried quickly away before the two had time to think of more evil things. 'Light training of course," she thought to herself. 'Sometimes I really should learn to keep my mouth shut.'

After Dawn vanished around then next corner Jaina looked at Xander, "Do you really think we should put her through that?"

"She will get the same options on that as we got and as Luke and Kyle will. Whatever she takes will benefit her in the end," Xander answered.

They quickly shared a kiss again before they parted. Jaina went in the direction to the cockpit and Xander went on his search for the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker.

Jaina quickly went to the cockpit and nodded a greeting to Rona, who was still keeping an eye on the sensors. "Anything interesting on the sensors?" she asked Rona while she sat down in the pilot chair.

Rona stretched her legs and yawned and the shook her head. "No nothing, the system is totally empty and boring. So are we leaving this godforsaken system?"

"Yes, we are," Jaina replied, while she powered up the engines and then she concentrated to pilot them out of their hiding space. After that she calculated the hyper-jump to their destination and then she engaged the hyper-drive.

"Looks like we now have a few hours to kill. Care for something to eat?" she asked Rona.

Rona only nodded and together they went into the mess-hall where they found a tired looking Danni with a cup of coffee in her hands. Jaina went over to her and gave her a quick kiss. "You look beat Danni."

Danni nodded in reply and took a sip of her coffee. "I am, but sadly I'm too tired to sleep for now and before you ask how our two patients are, they are doing well. They are just sleeping now and should be on their feet in a few hours."

Rona looked at Danni and said, "To tired to sleep? I know what we can do to help you with that."

Danni grinned as she replied, "Me too, but I don't think Xander would approve if we three would do that."

Rona blushed and mumbled, "Training, I meant training."

"Of course you do," Danni teased Rona and Jaina couldn't hide her smile as well. "A bit of sparing sounds good to me."

She drank out her coffee and then got up. "Let's meet us in the training room in five minutes."

Rona nodded and quickly all three left to change into their training outfits.

Meanwhile Xander had searched for Anakin in several rooms, but didn't had any luck so far. Just as the girls decided to train a bit he entered the small hangar of his ship and there he finally found the ghost of Anakin, who was ogling Jaina's XJ-Wing. Grinning Xander snuck up behind the ghost and because Anakin seemed to be quite absorbed in his study of the star-fighter Xander let out a "BOOOHHH!"

Anakin's Ghost jumped into the air several feet and then turned around. "XANDER!"

"Yes?" Xander asked with an innocent expression on his face.

"Forget it. I was just studying this fighter and I really would like to fly something like that again," Anakin said in a sad tone. "But I don't think you looked for me to talk about star-fighters?"

Xander nodded in understanding. "Indeed, I have a favor to ask. Could you go to your son and tell him to meet us on Gelgelar? We would like to train him and Kyle up a bit before we go to that Jedi planet. After all it wouldn't be wise if Luke, as the new leader of the Jedi, would be beaten up by one of their Padawans would it?"

"No probably not," Anakin replied. "I think I should be rested enough now after that dimensional travel, so I will go to my son now and tell him about the new meeting place."

With those words Anakin faded into nothingness and Xander headed to his cabin.

Xander smirked as he used the force to place two buckets of cold water on the top of the doors to Jaina, Danni's and his quarters. He owed both of them a little payback, first Jaina had stirred the pot by calling Han dad in his hearing range, and then when Han had hit him, both of them had laughed themselves silly.

So now it was payback time, once he had balanced the buckets he called Jaina and Danni to come to the cabin so they could have a important conversation, he only had to wait a few minutes before the door opened and he watched as Jaina and Danni were soaked by the cold water. Considering they were in their training outfits the results were something he could admire and treasure.

"Xander, you are so dead," Jaina growled.

"Oh I don't think so my love," Xander responded. "I owed you this," he added, as he used the force to close and lock the door.

Danni just smirked and shook her head before stripping off and jumping at her husband, wrapping her legs around him and kissing him, Jaina growled for a few moments before stripping and joining them on the bed. She would have her revenge, but for now maybe a little alone time was needed.

(Coruscant)

Leia awoke warm and comfy, but she had sensed a tremor in the force. Whatever had caused it was hidden from her. 'What was her brother up to?' she wondered, so far there had been no trace of her brother, Jade or the Falcon. She was angered that none of her people could trace them. Luke was clearly avoiding places he had been too before which should have been obvious. Then again her people had failed to even locate the new rebellion hideout. The empire had more ships and more people, but she knew from her own past that a miracle could happen and the new rebellion could overthrow her.

No she had to launch an attack before they could mobilize their entire force, once the 5th fleet arrived she would order the 2nd and 9th fleets to prepare for an attack and order all her spies to find the new rebellion hideout. That should at least wattle down their numbers and if the force was with her, it would even rip the heart out of the rebellion. Then Luke and Jade and whatever pitiful force of Jedi he had trained could be taken at will. She smiled as she imagined the chaos and slaughter before sinking back down in bed and curling up beside Kaira, the end would come soon for Luke, Jade, Han and the others, it was only a matter of time but unlike Ja'non she would take every precaution to ensure her victory.

(Millienium Falcon)

Luke shot up in bed, as he felt something or someone was in his cabin. He looked around his room, after switching the light on, and then relaxed as he finally saw the appearance of a Force ghost. He relaxed even more when he saw that it was his father who had returned, he was relieved to know his father was at least still with them.

"Easy Luke, it is just me," Anakin said, having not meant to startle his son. "I came to tell you Han and another Jedi prisoner are now free and Xander wants you to meet them at Gelgelar for some training before you head down to the Jedi planet," he explained. "Also Ja'non is dead, Han killed him during the escape, but this does not mean the threat is over. We still have to either save Leia from herself or stop her permanently," he warned straight after as he noted Luke's relieved look.

"I will not kill my twin father. I can't," Luke admitted, only for Ben to appear next to Anakin with a sad understanding expression on his face.

"Those were almost the exact words I said to Yoda before I was sent to face Anakin on Mustafar. I did not want to kill one who was like a brother to me, but in the end I had to try," Ben informed him, not missing the wince and dark look this brought him from his friend. "I did not kill him in the end, but I left him in just as bad a condition as if I had, you cannot make my mistake Luke," he continued. "You are the only one who can face Leia head on, you are her twin and that at least gives you the best chance of saving her from the darkside," he finished.

"He's right son, you have to try," Anakin agreed doing his best not to think of his own fall and those fateful events on Mustafar. "You must end the Sith threat once and for all, just like I was supposed to do as the chosen one," he explained. "It is you destiny, you cannot run from it even if you want to," he stated. "Running does you no good, believe me, I know," he added with a dark look.

Luke looked between the two force ghosts and knew they were telling him the truth. He nodded no matter how much it hurt. "I will do as I must," he promised. "I will go and set a course for Gelgelar" he added and headed for the cockpit.

Anakin and Ben shared sad expressions, knowing this was going to be very hard on Luke, but he was their only hope of maybe reaching whatever was left of the real Leia.

A few days later they finally reached the Gelgelar system and dropped out of hyper-space. This time Xander sat in the pilot seat, while Dawn was operating the sensors Rona was in the top turrent and Danni in the lower one. Jaina sat in the cockpit of her XJ-Wing and was ready to drop out of the hangar in a few seconds, just in case they would need a bit more firepower. After all this wasn't an abandoned system like Hoth and you never knew who was around.

Dawn quickly checked the sensors and sighed in relief. "Nothing in our near vicinity, but there are quite a lot of ships in this systems, so I better keep an eye out."

Xander nodded and set a course for the planet.

After they where only 15 thousand clicks from the small space-station, which orbited the planet, away their com activated. 'This is Gelgelar Security, unidentified freighter please state your name and business.'

Xander opened a channel to the space-station and replied, "Gelgelar Security, this is the freighter 'Klingon' under Captain Rednax. I'm here for a business meeting. Could you please give me landing coordinates to 'Fenn's Landing' landing bay?"

After a few moments the com activated again. "Freighter Klingon, the landing coordinates will be transmitted as soon as the landing fee of 500 creds is transferred."

Xander quickly wired the transfer of the credits and exhaled in relief after the landing coordinates were transferred, because he wasn't sure if the creds would be taken in this dimension, but luckily for them this reality used the same system as theirs.

They passed the small space-station which was just big enough for a small crew and maximal 3 to 4 defense fighters and for sure Xander could see some old Z-95's docked at it.

"Oh man, my XJ could fly cycles around those Oldtimers," Jaina said who just entered the cockpit, now that there was no need for her to remain in the cockpit of her fighter, because they would be landing soon.

"Damn Gelgelar Free Port looks even shadier than in our reality," she said, while Xander touched down. "What do you think how long it will take for Luke to come here?"

"Two more days I think, he was a bit farther away than we were," Xander replied.

"Good, than we can go shopping," Dawn threw in.

Rolling his eyes Xander said, "We should meet with the owner of this landing bay. I liked Slerog Fenn and he probably can sell us a load of shvash gas. Then we can look around Dawn."

Dawn only grinned and was already visiting shops in her mind and thinking about a few nice things she could buy for Anakin and Lexa.

Jaina only shook her head and replied, "Always thinking about earning creds, Xander?"

"Not my fault that being a Jedi Master with two wives is so expensive. I have to earn a bit of credits where ever I can," he replied with a grin.

"For that," Jaina answered with an evil smile, "I will invite Dawn to a shopping trip."

Xander just groaned and banged his head against the console in front of him.

Two days and many credits later they all met up, which included Han and Kyle, and sat in the only cantina of this Freeport called the 'Slippery Gelgelar Eel'. They waited on Luke and Mara who had told them over the com that they had just landed.

A while later they saw both of them enter. Han, who was the only one known by Luke here, raised his hand and waved them over. Han rose up slowly, because even after several bacta treatments he still felt a bit stiff, and pulled Luke in a quick hug. "It's good to see you again kid."

Luke who gave the hug back replied, "You as well, you old space pirate."

Han eyed him for a moment, "How is my ship doing?"

Luke gulped a bit, while the all at the table just looked amused. "Not a scratch Han, not a scratch."

"Good for you, kid," Han said with a grin and then continued. "So let me introduce the people your father dragged in to help and who ended my beauty vacation on Coruscant.

Jedi Master Alexander Harris-Solo, my son in law in his reality.  
Jedi Master Jaina Solo, my daughter from another reality and wife to that daughter stealing scoundrel.  
Jedi Knight Danni Solo, wife to my daughter and Alexander.  
Padawan Dawn Summers, who is an even bigger trouble magnet than you are.  
Force Guardians Buffy Summers, Dawn's sister, Rona and Kyle Katarn, who enjoyed the same luxurious hotel on Coruscant than I did."

With that Han ended this part of the introduction and enjoyed the shocked face of Luke for a few moments and then he continued, "and those," pointing on Mara and Luke, "are Luke Skywalker, trouble magnet extra ordinary and," here he paused for a moment, "a gorgeous looking young lady I never met before."

Before anyone could say anything, Jaina quickly got up and hugged Luke and Mara quickly. "Good to see you again Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara." Xander groaned as Jaina did it again before chuckling at the looks on Luke and Mara's faces.

After they all had sometime to familiarize with each other Xander spoke up, "So now enough with the chitchat. We met here on this godforsaken planet because Kyle and Luke need to train up a bit. Kyle because he is a Force Sensitive with only informal training and Luke because even if he might have reached the status of a Jedi Knight, is no Master yet, but that is what you need to be for the sake of your reality. In addition my Padawan Dawn will join in the training and if you want," here he looked at Mara Jade, "can join as well."

After Mara nodded in agreement he continued. "Good, then there is only one thing left to do before we can start. You can choose between an easy training where you learn enough for your needs or you can choose the not so easy training in which you will learn much... much more."


	13. Chapter 13

Note: Hatten joined us now in this little spin off to his Knight Series and most of this chapter was done by him, with some small things added by Razial or me.

Chapter 13

Gelgelar was mostly a water planet. The land that existed was covered with swamps, marshes, wet grass land, half drowned forests and jungles. Some pathetic looking mountains were hidden by clouds or covered by snow some nice glaciers were also seen.

Far away from the normal places tourist or even locals would go or drive to, a small camp had been erected on an island surrounded by swamps and lakes.

The camp was almost totally hidden by the trees and the thick fog that always seemed to be present.

As R3 rolled around peeping and finished of the setting of the insects' zappers, making sure the camp would be mostly insects free.

Xander activated the heater and made the camp warm. Quickly the others joined him around the heater. "Personally I think a fire would be more romantic," he said as he looked at Jaina, who in reply only shook her head.

"You just like to see things burn. Beside everything out here is dripping wet," she replied to that insane idea.

Xander just nodded.

Dannie shivered as she looked at the ever present fog. "It's good we have lots of spare sets of clothes with us."

Luke's curiosity was too much for him and he just had to ask. "When are the lessons going to start?"

Kyle nodded, while scratching some dirt from his boots. This place was nice. It was disgustingly wet, hot during the day and cold during the night. In other words it was a perfect place to torture a student. 'Whoever showed these two this place must be a real sadist,' he thought to himself and loudly he said, "I'm a bit eager myself."

Xander grinned. "Dawn, what about you? Would you like to start the training?"

Dawn nodded. Sure she knew it would be hell, but how bad could it be. Really come one, can't be that hard. "Yeah, this will be so fun," she replied and smiled.

Jaina smiled and thought, 'She just doesn't learn does she?'

Xander sighed. "Right, your first lesson is a choice, as I mentioned before in the cantina. I can train you slow and soft, but you will not learn much then or I can push you and train you harder than you ever have been trained before. In result you will be many times stronger by the time I am done with you." He looked at them for a moment with his eerie eyes and then said, "Make the choice."

Luke frowned. "How good are you?"

Xander looked at Luke for a moment and then replied, "I am a lightsaber master of two bladed and one bladed fighting. I know all seven forms and many of the free-forms. I trained under Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and other Jedi Masters. I have a strange gift that allows Force Ghost to visit me and so I can claim training from even Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and many others that died a long time ago. I personally know that I can beat my Kyle Kartan with a lightsaber and Luke as well. He and I know who the best is."

Jaina looked curios and just had to ask, "And who is it?"

"Give it up. He is never going to tell you," Danni sulked.

Kyle snorted. "I take the hard training. Give me hell, kid."

Luke sighed he had a feeling he would regret this, but said, "Hard it is."

"What? But then I have to take the hard training as well or I will be all alone," Dawn complained with a sigh. "Hard training, it is then."

Jade almost giggled at the fearful look on the girl. "Hard it is."

Xander smiled and thought, 'Good. Kyle and Luke would pay.'

"Great, once the training starts you will not feel that happy. I can promise that you that." He pulled a computer file. It was a more or less a copy of the training schedule his version of Kyle Kartan had made for them.

Jaina took over. "The first lesson we are going to tech you is one that Luke most likely knows and Dawn is not that good at and Jade? No idea, but we will see. Kyle would need to learn that, but his soldier training has most likely shortened down his need to sleep already." She grinned. "Jedi Meditation, if done correctly, will cut your need to sleep in half. We will spend two days making sure both Kyle and Dawn can do it and meanwhile teach Luke some other meditation and Jedi powers. After meditation we will do some sparing both with lightsaber and unarmed combat will be done. Buffy and Rona will help you there."

Kyle nodded. "Unarmed combat, how good are the girls?" he asked and wondered, he himself was considered a master in both armed and unarmed combat.

Luke nodded to himself while not the greatest Force user he was great at using the lightsaber. He thought with a sad gloomy expression, as he remembered his mistakes in the past.

Xander grinned. "Buffy and Rona are something that's unique in my dimension. They, like me, came from an alternate dimension where the Force does not exist, once they arrived in a dimension where the Force existed they mutated. In my home dimension they where Slayers, that's what Buffy was or a Potential slayer, of which Rona was one. Girls blessed with the power to fight the forces of evil. They are stronger, faster, have improved healing and prophetic dreams that guide them to the monsters they hunt and kill. They are also more skilled in fighting then any normal human could be. Once the current Slayer died, a new Slayer was called from the potential slayers."

He looked at them. "How the new slayer is called we never really found out, but most of the time a potential slayer closest to the area where the trouble is the one that is called. So far so good. Whatever power is deciding who will be the slayer seems to chose a girl between the age of 12-18, in rare cases older girls has been chosen but that was rare. Most slayers last between half a year to a year then the monsters she fights kill her."

"That's fucking barbaric," Kyle grumbled.

Mara looked sick and asked, "Who chose them?"

Buffy shrugged. "Bad luck, Higher beings, Dark lord of the Sith. Xander said it Mara, nobody truly knows how the slayer is chosen."

Rona continued. "Buffy was the slayer that survived the longest in more than five hundred years. She was the slayer from her fourteenth year or so, until she was 18 years old."

Xander nodded. "Yes. In my home dimension I grew up on a primitive world with real monsters hidden around. The slayer was one out of many champions that kept the human race alive in my home dimension. A Slayer has the instinct to keep beings with a soul alive. The monsters that exist in my dimension are well demons, monsters without a soul an undead. When a Hutt used a trans-dimensional gate to steal gold and treasures from our world he accidentally pulled me and lots of Potentials and with the treasure. Buffy and a few of my friends followed me a while later."

Xander took a breath and then continued. "Whatever power that gave the Slayer her gifts does not exist in a Force universe. So Buffy almost died as her slayer powers were ripped out of her body, but the force compensated it and filled her up, mutated her. All potentials that were pulled through had mutated into Force Guardians as well. Their instinct to protect was left and became an instinct to protect those that serve the Light side of the force."

Luke nodded and asked, "And what abilities do they have?"

"Internal use of the force, the force permanently improved their body speed, strength and endurance. Rona is about four times faster and stronger then a girl her size should be. Buffy is around five times. They also have other gifts and abilities. They learn physical skills like fighting or dancing at extreme speeds and they can for a short moment double their physical abilities. Go from four times to 8 times of her physical abilities in Rona's case and Buffy from five times to 10 times. Each Force guardian has a special and unique gift to them. Rona's gift is learning skills. Any physical action she can see, she learns the first time she sees it."

Rona grinned. "I mastered more martial arts and dances then I can remember. I know some Wookiee fighting arts as well, but I am too weak for them, even when I double my physical skills."

Luke and Kyle blinked their eyes in shock.

Ignoring that, Rona continued. "I have mastered the Coruscant unarmed police fighting art, the classic military fighting art of the Republic and Empire, Nogrie fighting skills and all of the Jedi fighting techniques."

She grinned evilly. "Fact is, I know the Jedi fighting techniques better then Xander does."

Xander nodded. "That's true in a way. The only thing that keeps Rona from being a true lightsaber master is the fact that in many of the techniques you use the force externally. You use telekinesis to launch yourself in gigantic jumps, you use affect mind to lure the enemy or intimidate him and you use mind reading to sense his next action. Rona or Buffy can still mimic that with their impressive strength and speed, but without that ability they cannot truly be a master."

"So they can use the force only on themselves then," Luke said.

"Um yeah," was Buffy's reply.

"In a way, their body is hardwired to do some incredible things as a slayer, but the slayer-power does not exist in a force universe. So the Force compensated. Jedi healing trance is automatically active in a Force guardian, where a Jedi has to activate it, but a Jedi healing trance is more powerful than that of a force guardian's. This mimics the fact that a Slayer has enhanced healing. The slayer has improved strength as a Guardian. The force seems to constantly strengthen them and they, like a Jedi, seem to use enhance strength abilities to double their physical skills," Xander explained.

"But if a Jedi lose conciseness before he activates his healing trance, he is still very dead. A guardian's power activates by itself," Rona said proud over how superior she is.

Kyle nodded. "Well, you don't have any reason to lie and I feel the truth in what you say. So I am eager to see how good those two girls are. Perhaps I can even teach them a trick or two."

"What is Buffy's power?" Mara wondered.

Before Buffy could answer to that Xander said, "It took us a long time to figure it out. Buffy is unique, as she was the active Slayer as she followed me later on. On Earth only one potential was active at the time. Buffy gifts are the fact that she is slightly better in all areas. She is slightly stronger, learns physical skill slightly better. Has ESP gifts that are slightly better than the average Guardian." He grinned at the proud looking Buffy.

"At home we have a Guardian named Amanda whose gifts are physicals. She is around six times as strong as a girl her size should be and she can double that strength and become 12 times as strong and fast. She can keep herself super level for almost half an hour before she needs to power down, but her skills in extra sensory ability are weaker. Another girl, Chloe, her gift is extra sensory. She could sense the future almost as good as a Jedi and use the lightsaber to parry a blaster bolt, just as well as a Jedi, but Chloe is weaker than a normal guardian."

He was silent for a moment and then asked, "So does that answer your question, Mara?"

Mara just nodded in reply.

"How will the training schedule be?" Luke asked Xander and Jaina.

Jaina's data pad projected the schedule into the air.

Morning: 4 hours of gymnastic, strength training and endurance training

Breakfast and 30 minutes rest

Lightsaber training 4 hours, trained by Jaina, Rona, Buffy and Xander

Lunch and 30 minutes rest

Theory force skills and Force powers: 4 hours

Dinner 1 hour

Weapon drills, Lightsaber control practice using the Candace and unarmed combat lessons: 5 hours

Cool down exercises and meditation: 1 hour

Sleep 6 hours.

"That's..." Luke started to say, but was interrupted.

"You are trying to kill us," Dawn complained.

Xander shock his head in mock surprise. "Dawn, Dawn, Dawn, would I do something like that? Beside its six hours of sleep. A true Jedi needs only four hours. I said it's hard and Jaina and I will be training right along you, making sure both of us are in shape and to make sure nobody is slacking off."

"This is so going to hurt. I already know the Jedi Meditation, Luke showed me," Mara sighed.

Xander and Jaina's smile was pure evil.

Beside them Danni giggled. They had decided that she as the local healer would not join the training. Instead she would be on medical duty to keep all of them healthy, if an accident did occur.

As darkness fell, the first lesson in meditation started and the next morning came far too soon and so the torture could begin.

First was almost an hour worth of gymnastic, flexing, bending and jumping to warm up the body, combined with some strength training. Then long runs through the swamp followed.

After that they settled down very tired and had a bite to eat. Using Jedi methods to refresh them self while eating and resting.

Luke waited until she was out of hearing. "What is wrong with Dawn? Buffy, Rona and the rest of you seem to keep a special guard around her."

Xander blinked. That was perceptive of Luke. "Dawn has a mental happiness disorder. She is happy and optimistic on a dangerous level. The disorder makes it almost impossible for her to be truly depressed and if something bad happens that makes her depressed, her mind seems to suppress the memory, until she once again is happy. That makes her naïve and combined with her adventure lust she often runs head long into a bad situation or discovers something dangerous to herself and others." Grinning he continued. "But the disorder has its advantage as well. She is immune to the temptations of the dark side. She is utterly immune and unable to even use it."

Kyle snorted. "If she is like that, why did you train her?"

"She is to powerful and so the only option was to train or kill her and Dawn will not die. We are making sure she will have a long life. We normally have a guardian or a Jedi Knight working together with her." Xander said and then was silent for a moment. "Dawn herself has never really understood how bad her disorder is. Every time we tell her, she suppresses or disorders the memory making herself believe it's not that bad. Even with that she is becoming a responsible Jedi, slower than most but she is getting there, even if she always will be naïve."

Luke nodded. "I understand," he said and promised to keep an eye out, so that the girl did not hurt herself.

Xander nodded as he stood up and walked over to take another cup of chocolate or that's what he was pretending to do.

Sitting next to the auto chef that R3 was taking care of was Jaina talking with Danni. Xander interrupted them talking in a silent voice. "Something is up with Luke. He feels weaker. No wait, not weaker more like unsure of himself. It's like he is afraid or limits his own potential. Is it just me or?"

Jaina nodded. "I got that impression also. He is nothing like our Uncle Luke is," she said wondering. "In fact he reminds me of Luke Organa. Remember him?"

"You are right, he feels uncertain. Like he lost his faith in the force and I can't help him. This is something Mara and he have to take care of." Danni said sighing. "This was the reason I took care and helped heal Luke Organa. His emotions after seeing Alderaan's destruction were dark and he had too much hidden anger. Your mother told me Jaina that it took many years before she managed to overcome her own anger and darkness and you noticed the time, right?"

Xander nodded. "Luke must have started training Leia to soon. In our world it took almost four years after Endor before they started to train her."

"It was five years I think," Jaina said and shook her head. "Never mind, Luke must have started training this version of Leia to soon. She was not ready." She sneaked a peak at the man that looked so much like her own Uncle, just a bit younger. "He does remind me of the Prince of Alderaan. He was also slow in learning, careful about going too far too fast."

Xander nodded. "If he would just let go of his own fears he would be ready, I can feel it. He is a Jedi Knight already. He is powerful and skilled enough and he should be a Jedi Master in his own right, but he is not. He is barely working on the level of skill a normal Jedi Knight should. He is holding himself back."

Danni nodded. "It's between him and Jade. We can do nothing, but train them and have hope in the force."

Xander nodded in agreement to that. "R3, could you bring out the training sabers later?" he asked his faithful droid.

R3 peeped happy.

"Thanks," Xander said and then he looked at his watch. "Alright guy's, breakfast is over. Let's start to work."

And work they did the moment R3 had given out training lightsabers. Four hours in taking turns to test their fighting skills against Buffy, Rona, Xander and Jaina.

Training lightsabers are unable to pierce the skin or normal cloth of a human, but a direct hit can give you bruises and it burns. Rona, as always frustrated in training idiots, made sure they would feel burning pain for each mistake they did in combat. Idiots in her mind were anybody who is not able to learn perfectly, just by watching it one time.

Xander, while not as hard as Rona, pushed the others harder as he was evaluating their skill and endurance. He was pushing them to pull out any skill they had.

After two hours of training Kyle, Luke, Jade and Dawn were convinced the others were trying to kill them.

"Sith spit. You almost burned my hand of," Kyle growled out in anger at Rona, who looked at him with a naughty and irritated look on her face.

Xander shock his head. "Rona remember how long it took you to learn how to pilot a ship? Fast physical learning like you and others have is not normal. You have to have more patience with normal humans." He could see Rona blush.

"Sorry, it's just so frustrating having to show them again and again. He just kept doing the same mistake again and again. It's...," she said.

Kyle nodded. "Alright, I do something wrong with the lightsaber I get it. Show it to me again, but this time a bit slower."

Rona nodded and moved. Way to fast.

"SITH SPIT WOMAN. I said show me SLOWER and not faster than I can see." Kyle screamed, now holding his burned fingers.

"Get your ass in gear Kyle. No pain no gain," Xander said withholding a grin.

Kyle snorted. "Sounds like something I would say."

Xander grinned. "Really? One of our Jedi Masters used to say that all the time and then forced us to work twice as hard." He grinned even more. "And I never heard him complain about little girls hurting his fingers. Just work harder, no pain no gain, keep pushing it."

"What a fucking bastard," Kyle grumbled.

Xander snorted and then started to giggle. "Oh yeah, he was a real asshole. I got to show you his picture later."

Not far away Jaina also giggled. She so remembered the painful days with Kyle training them and then the training continued.

Xander held the lightsaber blade in a low offensive position, pointing at Luke's knee. "You use a mix of unorthodox fighting forms. Mostly self trained with Yoda and Ben giving you the only formal training and that was only for a short time."

Luke nodded. "I heard people say that." He wondered where Xander was going with this.

Xander attacked quick and shallow, sweeping moves with the blade forcing Luke to parry and jump back. "The mix of your unorthodox and self made fighting forms has given you an advantage against many enemies. They have no idea what you are going to do next, but an enemy that has fought against you could find your weakness. Leia knows them. She has been trained by you and by now she also knows the real fighting forms."

Luke nodded. "I trained her the best I could."

Xander nodded. "And that's why I am going to teach you and make sure you learn all seven forms. For 10000 years the lightsaber forms have been a part of the Jedi fighting skills and not without a reason. They are strict and formal in the beginning, but each of them is adaptable to the Jedi in question. You can learn them and master them. Then make them your own way of fighting and when you have done that, your ability will grow exponentially." He grinned. "My Luke fights much like you, but he has mastery in all seven forms and most of the free forms also. If needed or just to confuse somebody, he switches between his own and the old forms."

Luke nodded and said, "You said 'not without a reason.' Why?"

Xander smiled. "Alright, gather around me," he said. As the students finally were waiting and listening he continued. "The seven forms of lightsaber combat were created slowly over 10000 years and some would say 20000 years ago. We do know that the first incarnation of the Jedi order came to be born around 25000 years ago."

He blinked. "Sorry the ghosts and I have been talking too much about history lately. Anyway, the first form was created during the time when Jedi used normal swords. The second and third forms were created during when they started to switch between normal blades and lightsabers. That's around 15 000 years ago. Form four and form five, six and seven slowly evolved out of the first three forms. The first three also grew, were adapted and simplified or distilled into the pure essence of combat."

The others looked at him as he spoke and Xander continued. "Each of the forms is not only a way of fighting. It's also represents a different philosophy of combat and you do not even need a lightsaber. Each of the forms can be used unarmed as well.

They complete each other like a puzzle, if you master all seven you can reach the perfect form."

Kyle looked up and said, "You said they represent a philosophy?"

Xander nodded. "Yes, Form 1 Shii-cho - Way of the Sarlacc is the determination form. The motion of no surrender or retreat, it's specialized against fighting multiple hostiles with long sweeping motions. Against a single skilled opponent its strength quickly becomes its weakness.

It's still used, as it's the perfect form to start training a student and it's an extremely good fall back form. If nothing else works, go to basic Shii-cho. Many use it during meditation and gymnastic training.

Form 2 Makashi - Way of the Ysalamir is the contention form. It's philosophy could be translated to I am superior, so I will win. Makashi is almost a perfect fighting form against other lightsaber users. It's only weakness is, that it's difficult to use against long range weapons and it is weak against fighting groups of opponents in the beginning. A master of Makashi can easily compensate and there by remove that weakness. Against powerful and strong opponents it's weak as well. Makashi uses technique and control to such a degree that it's weak against an opponent, who uses lots of physical raw power."

Kyle nodded. "Like fencing, right?"

Xander blinked. "Yeah, exactly. How did you know that?"

Kyle replied, "Seen idiots using light-foils. They strut around fencing. Some of it is based on old records of Jedi using similar methods."

Xander grinned. "Well base Makashi is fencing, focusing on style over brute force. Once you learn more you find it's far more powerful then fencing could ever be. Jaina is the true master of that form. I can use it, but I'm not comfortable in it.

Form 3 Soresu - Way of the Mynock is the resilience form. It philosophy can be shorten down to a simple I will protect. Soresu was created to protect against long range attacks. It's now the ultimate defensive form that exists. It's strength in defense is also its weakness in offense, as a Soresu user has to trust his defense until his opponent becomes to tired or to frustrated to protect himself or makes a mistake when the Soresu returns his attack."

Luke nodded to that. "I learned a bit of Soresu. Ben showed me during our journey to Alderaan," he said, remembering the training with the blast helmet and the seeker droid.

Dawn complained, "Do we have to repeat this? I am too tired to listen."

"Perfect then. Dawn, why don't the two of us go and do some invigorating battle training?" Jaina asked her rhetorical.

"Eeep. I think I need to learn this. I really do need to listen when Xander is talking. I'll be quite now," Dawn stuttered and then swallowed.

Xander almost giggled. "Form 4 Ataru - Way of the Hawk-Bat is the aggression form. It's philosophy is simple, surrender or die. It is an acrobatic form which needs you to be constantly moving. It's weak against multiple opponents and prolonged combat, as it's easily draining your strength. Using Ataru needs open space, in corridors and tight areas the fighting acrobatic Ataru depends on are limited. It's greatest weakness is the constant need to move and acrobatic jumps open up the user for counter attacks. Still Ataru is a strong form and there are not many that are so skilled they can take advantage of that weakness. Master Yoda was a Master in this form."

He looked at them for a moment to let it all sink in and then continued with his lecture. "Form five Shien-Djem-so - Way of the Krayt Dragon is the perseverance form. I will endure any opposition, is its philosophy. In reality it consists out of two forms that were merged together like a coin. Shien is designed to parry and return blaster bolts back to the shooter and Djem-so is designed to use the opponents close combat attack against them. It's basic method is tricking or forcing the opponent to attack you the wrong way and once the opponent is in a weak position you return the attack and press the advantage. Djem So it's all about counter attack and controlling your opponent during combat. It's weakness is the lack of movement. A user has to stand his ground to make it truly effective. It's also weak against opponents who also know this form. I believe Darth Vader was a Master of this."

Luke nodded. He was a Master of this as well, even if he incorporated most of it in his own private way of fighting. "He was and I am also," he told Xander and the others.

Xander nodded at this and then continued again. "Form six Niman - The way of the Rancor. It's philosophy is 'nothing is too much'. Niman has no weakness and has no special strength. It's my favorite form. Niman tries to balance and combine all elements of lightsaber combat and used them in moderation. That way a jack-of-all-trades is created."

Kyle leaned forward. "What is the last form?"

Xander looked serious. "Form Juyo and Form Vaapad are Form no 7. Juyo was created four thousand years before the Clone Wars. It should have been a great form, but the Jedi knew the user was missing something. It was just before the war that Jedi Master Mace Windu perfected it and renamed it Vaapad, after an aggressive predator with many arms. The secret was that Form seven is not only a way of fighting. It's a way of mind. It's secret is to channel your own darkness into the fight, to accept the fury of your opponent. It's a way of fighting we Jedi are weak in, but the Sith are quite good at. A Jedi can learn and use Vaapad, but it's terrible close to the darkside of the force.

The philosophy behind it would be 'the state of mind is to enjoy the fight and take pleasure in it and in the winning the combat'. It depends on constantly using the force to improve your speed and strength. A user of it can be described as moving like an explosion. A master of Vaapad moves and attack so fast that it looks like he suddenly has double the number of arms and blades.

It's weakness is that is difficult to learn. It's too complex and too demanding. In combat Vaapad is perhaps the most dangerous lightsaber form you can come face to face with. Amusing enough is that it's especially weak against Soresu. Do not use form 7, if the opponent is a master in Soresu?"

"What other forms do you know?" Luke asked.

Xander looked at him thoughtful and then answered, "Oh there are many. Form Sokan is more of a fighting principle then a fighting form. It's teaching you to use the terrain as a weapon against your opponent. The Jar'Kai fighting form focuses on duel-blade combat. Its main weakness is that you can't use a two handed hold and that makes you lose some strength in you attacks. Jar'Kai is a form of Niman. Another weakness is that is hard to truly master, but someone who has mastered it can have a strong offense and at the same time they have a strong defense."

Luke eyes turned to Xander's lightsaber. "May I?" he asked while holding out his hand.

Xander nodded, pulled out his blade and hold it in Luke's direction.

Luke took it. "Looks like a double bladed lightsaber."

Xander grinned. "It is a double bladed lightsaber or a sith-blade. I sometimes start a battle using it like that. Double bladed sabers are used like a quarter staff. You hold your hands on the handle and then swing around. It's a wild fighting method."

He grinned and said, "Push the button in the middle."

Luke nodded and pushed it. Suddenly the handle fell apart in two halves. "A lightsword and a light dagger," he said in astonishment.

Xander nodded. "Yes, I normally use a sword and shoto in my fight. Beginning with a dual bladed one to confuse them, then I switch to sword-dagger."

Both Kyle and Luke nodded.

"And that brings us back to your question what forms I know," Xander said.

They all looked at him. "I have tried some Form Zero and trained in it, but I am not good at that. Form Zero is avoiding conflict. More than once I used Dun Möch, a Sith technique of psychological warfare. Using taunts and telekinetic assaults to confuse and demoralize the opponent. Darksiders are actually weak against this. It confuses them and makes them so angry that they become both stronger and careless."

"That's sound risky," Luke said.

Xander nodded. "Using Dun Möch against a darksider is extremely risk filled, but it's also extremely effective. If you succeed they become too angry to fight."

"Where was I?" he thought for a moment and then continued. "There is Telekinetic lightsaber combat, using your blade from a distance. I used that method to defeat a techno organic being called a Shadow in a dimension far away from us. Then I used mounted lightsaber combat, using both swoops and robot horses. Trakata is another form I trained in for a bit. You switch of and activate your blade to come inside you opponents guard."

He laughed. "Then of course I learned and mastered the Fast Style, the Medium style and the Strong Style. Which were created by the New Jedi Order, as a quicker way to teach the students how to fight. They are weaker than the original seven, but they are much faster to learn. Jedi Master Kam Solust, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Jedi Master Kyle Kartan created them in my home dimension."

Kyle looked at him, as a few facts added together in his head. "It was me. I was the bastard that showed you hell training."

Xander nodded. "And I am so happy to give it back to you with interest."

Kyle glared at no one in particular. "I so hate myself."

"Let's begin training again," Jaina said while smiling at Kyle's remark and then the training continued.

Now that they had an idea where their students were and so they started on Form one. Drilling its movements inside the students' memories again and again.

Hours later when lunch break came they were tired, so dam tired but instead of resting lessons in theory and force power started.

Four hours of learning theory and testing new powers, Danni joined them for this lesson.

Buffy and Rona decided to sleep a while.

Jaina focused on Kyle and Dawn, helping them to learn force healing and force meditation. Dawn already knew it, but like most of her force skills she needed more training.

When dinner break came they felt like zombies, mind dead and were relieved that it was physical combat next or so they believed.

Weapon drills proved to be different, first lessons in handling the blade, mostly for Dawn and Mara's sake.

They also showed tricks and modifications you could build in your blade, like making it able to work under water.

Then it was time to learn how to translate Form 1 into unarmed combat.

Xander also gave them some lessons in how to use other weapons and showed them the advantage of blasters, simple guns and even how to combine telekinetic to transform a simple rock into a deadly missile weapon.

After that the cool down exercise, healing trance and meditation started and then they could finally go to sleep.

It was a tired group that moved inside the camping house. Nothing was said, as they drifted off to sleep.

Xander sighed feeling his tired arms and legs ache with training pains. He knew thanks to the modifications he got from the angel and devil that he was around twice the strength and speed of a normal human and that his gills gave him the ability to breathe underwater. That of course had its price, he tend to eat more than a normal human and was more sensitive to heat and fire then a normal human was, but if he, with his improved physic, was tired he felt sorry for the others. Jaina looked totally destroyed, as she was asleep long before he had a chance to crawl in bed between her and Danni.

He drifted off to the mostly dreamless sleep of a Jedi.

Only Danni was awake, listening to the sound of the night while watching her beloved two sleeping beside her. All was good in her world, she made them happy and they made her happy. Then she slowly drifted off to the land of the sleeping. Feeling a moment of regret, dreams, she really missed dreaming. A Jedi did not normally dream, instead they just sleep. It could happen, but for a Jedi a good dream or a nightmare was just luxury or a bad luck. Instead it was seeing the future, the past and friends far away, but no real dreams. She really missed dreams.


	14. Chapter 14

Note: Here is the next part of this story. This one contains parts from all three of us.

Chapter 14

Han watched them start their training, but soon got bored and began to wander around the camp. He was still trying to get used to being free. He had his revenge on Ja'non, but Leia remained a servant of the darkside and he had to be ready for the fight ahead and so he began some training himself. He started with a good hard run, which left him almost breathless, then he did some push-ups followed by some pull ups, by the time he was done he was knackered.

He had been locked in a cell for a long time and his muscles were all crying out at been used full throttle, but he ignored the pain and as he sat down for lunch he just listened from the back as the others talked. Once he was finished he headed back out and just took in the view. He wondered how Lando and the others were and if he was honest with himself, he even missed Artoo and C-3PO. He ran a hand through his hair before he began a slow run this time. He soon got back and then went through some more exercises, before calling it quits for now. He would continue retraining his body for as long as they were here. He also decided to do some training to ensure his blaster skills were still up to scratch.

(Rebellion Hideout)

Lando watched as the shipyards continued to build new fighters and capital ships, as Yoda's force ghost had instructed them to do. It would take maybe five to seven months to complete the nine ships already under construction maybe less, but even with that, seven more had been started. Every soldier had begun training. New recruits were being pushed to their limits for what was to come and Ackbar was already training bridge crews for the new ships. The fighters were easier to build and already they had replaced many of those lost to the empire in the last year.

Artoo passed him by whistling and beeping a hello. He smiled and was pleased to see the little droid talking again. Ever since they had word from Luke, the little droid had become more and more like his old self. He turned and headed for his bunk, as he was tired and tomorrow would be another long day.

(Naboo)

It was finally time the man thought, time to come out of hiding and finally finish what had begun during the clone wars. He picked up his lightsaber and clipped it on his belt before he headed out of what had been his home since Skywalker's betrayal. The betrayal that had cost him his hand and helped bring the Jedi Order down. He knew Anakin had redeemed himself thanks to his son. A new order had begun, but a tremor in the force had stopped him from revealing his survival. He had been right to stay hidden, the new order was crushed quickly and a new empire had risen, controlled by Leia Skywalker.

The New Rebellion was on the run and Luke Skywalker was in hiding, or he had been. The force had shown him that new allies had arrived to aid the struggle against the darkside and he knew he had to join them. He boarded his ship and set course for Gelgelar. He just hoped they would be enough to finally put the Sith to rest forever. He ran his remaining hand over the cybernetic one he had gotten to replace the one cut off by Skywalker. He had learnt a great lesson that night, never to fall so far into Vaapad that he did not take all shatter points into consideration. He was so focused on Palpatine's shatter point during their confrontation that he had failed to see Anakin's, a costly mistake, but not one he would make again.

He had only survived the fall by luck of the force. He had fallen onto a passing speeder and managed to hold on. From there he had escaped the planet using a combination of med packs and force healing to keep himself alive. He had found some of his contacts who had access to a bacta tank and he had spent a couple of days in that. Thankfully his contacts were trustworthy and not supportive of the new empire. He had spent the next year going from place to place until settling on Naboo. He had made sure his presence was never detected by Vader or the Emperor by constructing a powerful force shield that ensured nothing of his presence got past it.

Now he would return to the galaxy at large and aide in truly bringing the Republic back to life. He would ensure that the Jedi Order was restored properly or he would die trying. He closed his eyes and began to meditate, wondering what kind of man the son of Anakin Skywalker was, while his ship continued on course.

Next day, afternoon

Kyle watched as they were led to an open field where they would learn the Cadence. He was curious about that. Each time they mentioned it they had a tiny smile on them and often looked in his direction. He had a firm belief that the asshole that thought them the Cadence was his counterpart. What a fucking bastard.

He was surprised that lots of wax cylinders with small dots on top of them. The dots were so small that he could only see them using a force skill he had just been learning to enhance his senses. For a short time he could improve his long range vision. The tiny dots were steel ball bearings, really tiny once.

Xander stopped within a circle of 19 wax cylinders. Each cylinder was 4 inches high and 0.2 inches in diameter.

"This is the First Cadence and all in all it goes up to five levels. The purpose with the Cadence is to learn control and how to focus your lightsaber and control each attack more and better. To do it, you have to be calm inside, yet be fast and precise. This is a training exercise that no darksider has truly ever mastered," Xander said.

"What level are you on?" Luke said.

"Jaina and I are currently struggling with level four," Xander replied.

"Remember that using two lightsabers makes the cadence much harder to complete and if you believe you can just do it again and again until you have learnt it, forget it. Between each attempt the location of the cylinders are changed," Jaina told them.

Xander nodded. "Level four is the level Jedi Masters that are masters on Lightsabers should be on. Level five is the level a Jedi Master and a blade master should spend his life trying to master. Level 1 uses 19 cylinders and 19 ball bearings. What you do is burn away the steel ball bearings with the tip of you lightsaber, without damaging the wax cylinder."

Jaina continued to explain. "And it has to be done in a single move. You have to spin jump rush inside the circle never stopping. So use the force to sense where the ball bearings are and the force to guide your lightsaber and then constantly move on from one cylinder to the next without stopping."

"The second cadence is 72 Cylinders and 2701 ball bearings. This is a full 360 degree circle and many of the ball bearings are on the ground next to a cylinder." He could see that they had understood how difficult the increased levels where. "Third Cadence is 180 cylinders and 16290 ball bearings. Forth cadence is 360 cylinders, by now the student should be so skilled that no ball bearings are needed. Instead he just strikes the correct position and knows if he fails or not. The Fifth cadence now uses no cylinders or ball bearings instead a deadly dance of precision has to be done. One that's almost impossible."

"We'll bring it on," Kyle said. "What good is this besides giving us precision?"

"Well it increases your precision and also teaches you to combine your force sense with your physical moves and you lightsaber attacks. That not only makes it easier to cut a precise target, it also helps you increase the lightsabers damage. A true master of a lightsaber can cut anything by combining his own power of the force and the lightsabers own cutting ability. This helps you to learn how to combine the force with your blade and it improves your balance," Xander explained and he knew from experience that balance was often the difference between life and death.

Luke nodded. "Ben said the same thing, but it's difficult to do."

Xander grinned. "Yeah it is. The last thing the Cadence does is help you to master and learn any of the battle forms. If you truly have mastered a cadence master a battle form and skill becomes easier. Any skill that uses the lightsaber becomes easier to learn." He looked at them. "Kyle, your D-twin taught us this and Luke your D-twin is trying to master the Fifth," Xander said. Luke was actually on the forth, but this Luke didn't need to know that and after all Luke is trying to master the fifth, but is stuck on the fourth for now, so technically it wasn't a lie.

"D-twin?" Jade asked.

Jaina replied, "Dimensional double or in his case dimensional trouble."

Jade snorted. "Of course."

"Right, some people use wax candles instead of ball bearing, they work just as well. If you use candles the purpose is using the lightsaber to light them up. From the instructions I read, some say it's easier to do and others say it's harder using candles. We never could detect any difference between them," Xander said.

"This is so going to suck," Dawn said, while moving over to her circle. She was still struggling with those, *Censured due to extreme foul language*, Dawn blinked, 'Did she just censure her own mind, because she didn't like the angry word she may have used? Na she must have imagined it.'

She struggled over to the half circle of nineteen wax cylinders. So far she always got stuck on the last cylinder. That bastard was always in her way.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, focusing on the force and being one with her weapon and the universe around her. Sensing, not seeing, where the ball bearing was. Dawn started to spin around.

Jade, Kyle and Luke applauded in awe as she stopped. Around her the smell of burned steel was rising.

Dawn did not look that happy. "No. 19 again," she said. A tiny cut was seen on the last wax cylinder. "I have to start from the beginning."

R5R1 her own droid rolled over and changed the position of the cylinders. The droid beeped depressed at the boring work it was forced to endure. Like many R5's it suffered from depression due to a faulty personally matrix. Having a master who always was happy just depressed the poor droid even more, especially when she tried to cheer him up. 'One day, one day he would permanently destroy himself, just to escape Dawn,' the depressed droid thought.

"Oh don't be so gloomy, it's a wonderful day, right?" Dawn said, after all life was so fun and glorious.

R5 beep depressed that it had rained in the morning and unlike Dawn he could rust, life sucks.

Luke on the other hand frowned. "Dawn, do the movement again," he said.

Xander looked at Luke. Had he discovered Dawn's mistake already? A mistake he had just discovered himself. "Do it Dawn," he said.

Dawn nodded and moved, danced, swung and was cutting.

Luke looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "You use too much movement. It's... ahh I don't know."

Xander continued. "Like she is missing a blade in her off-hand, Dawn' mistake, something I discover only a short time ago, is that she tried to fight like me, but I use two blades and Dawn uses only one. That makes it impossible for her to master the cadence."

Luke filled in. "Unless she starts to move correctly."

Xander nodded. "Dawn, Luke the two of you are now study buddies. Dawn, you will help Luke with the cadence and he helps you to move with the correct balance."

And there he had the teacher inside Luke taking a peak outside.

Luke was silent for a moment and then he nodded "Sure. Come on Dawn." He smiled. How could he not, with seeing the young girl smile, with her whole face filled up with joy?

R5 beeped depressed. Why did he have the worst owner in the universe and why was he even built? And why did R3 and R6 keep him from running away to the scrap yard?

Much later in the day

Kyle had to ask. "Why do we eat differently then Danni, Buffy and Rona do?"

"You noticed, good," Xander said while he took a bite from his snacks. "We eat high energy food and they eat normal food. After all we work out harder and more than they do." He grinned.

Luke looked at the snacks they were offered "So that's why our food tastes so bad."

Jade on the other hand asked, "What happened in your dimension. I mean from the talk I understand you are further down the time line then we are?"

Xander nodded. "In our time line Luke started to train his Jedi to late and they rebuilt the Republic to fast. The order of the Jedi had always been the glue that helped keep the Republic working. They made millions of alien beings and societies work together by mediating and helping them to understand each other."

He took a deep breath and then continued. "Without millions of Jedi guarding the peace it all fell down like a card house and now our galaxy is split up in mini empires, federations and republics. War, both hot wars and cold wars, are everywhere."

Luke, Kyle and Jade blinked at the word cold war. It was something that they never heard before. "What the Sith is a cold war?" Kyle finally asked.

Jaina replied, "The worst war, instead of sending out fleets of ships both parts threaten each other with fleets and use spies, sabotage, hired terrorist, trading embargo's and hire pirates to strike against each others." She shivered. "Meanwhile fear and paranoia is spreading among the leaders and the civilians. What if they attack? What if it becomes a hot-war again?"

Xander continued. "A cold-war can last hundred times longer than a real war and it creates fear and paranoia and worst, it creates hate that can be so in grated in a society that it can take twice the time for it to vanish. So far our federation managed to win all hot-war it has been in, but it's involved with a cold war against other star nations. The cold war was going well for now and with luck it would be over in a decade or so."

Luke nodded it was time to go to sleep. He could see Jade wave her hand at him, calling him over to her sleeping place. For a moment he hesitated, just a moment, and then with a tired smile he joined her.

Kyle snorted at seeing that as he leaned down pulling a heat blanket around him and he curled up inside it, having decided to sleep outside. The blanket would keep him warm and he liked the stars anyway. Somewhere out there she was hopefully flying around in the Moldy Crow looking for him, if she was alive. Maybe he should try to send a message over one off their old and hidden ways.

Sleep came far too soon in his opinion and once again he had to face his dreams, his nightmares. He dreamed of friends who died in battle or were murdered by enemies. He heard that as a Jedi becomes more powerful he stopped dreaming. Kyle hoped that was true. So many friends of his had died and he had seen far too many die.

(Coruscant)

Leia pushed herself hard as she fought against the training droids. She knew Luke and the others would come for her in time. Even if her forces managed to find and attack them first, they would come. Kaira moved beside her in perfect sync, they would be an unbeatable team, she just knew it. In the next training room Jenna was putting the other dark Jedi through their paces, preparing them for the oncoming attack.

Kyle woke up out of one of his nightmares and after trying for a while to fall asleep again he gave up and stood up. He went to Xander's R3 unit and said, "Hello R3, could you record a small Holo message for me and encode it with those codes?"

R3 took the datapad Kyle hold out to him, checked it and then beeped an affirmative to Kyle.

Kyle knelt down in front of him and the two quickly recorded the message. "Could you send it over the Holonet for me?" he asked the droid who just beeped again.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Three days later

As the day began they all suddenly looked up as a ship broke through the atmosphere. They all pulled their weapons, although they could sense no threat from it. Luke soon noticed the force ghosts of his father, Ben and Yoda appear and each had a look of shock on their faces which made him suspect they knew who was coming.

They watched as the ship landed and noted that it was a very old style fighter, bearing the symbol of the Old Republic, which was a dead giveaway. The cockpit opened and they all watched as a tall bald man stepped out. Luke noted the frown appear on the man's face, as he took in the three force ghosts and it was directed sorely at his father.

"Master Yoda, Master Kenobi good to see you again," Mace said in greeting. "Skywalker," he added, moving towards Anakin who looked ill at the sight of the man. "I know you redeemed yourself, but what you did will never leave you or those of us who were there. You betrayed us," he accused unable to control himself.

"I know Master Windu. I wish I could go back and change everything, but I can't," Anakin responded. "I have to live with the knowledge of what I did, of betraying everyone who cared about me. My fellow Jedi and more importantly Obi-Wan and Padme," he continued. "There is no taking back, all I can do is accept that I was wrong, that I made the biggest mistake of my life and that I will never fully be forgiven by some people," he finished.

"It finally sunk into your brain that you were not always right then?" Windu asked.

"Yes Master," Anakin replied sadly. "I am sorry for not listening to you, the council and Obi-Wan. I allowed myself to be blinded and in so doing doomed us all," he went on. Luke went to intervene, but Ben quickly intercepted him and shook his head to ensure he stayed out of this.

"Yes you did, but you also undid your mistake when you turned against the Emperor," Windu acknowledged. "I don't know why, but I know in the end you completed the prophecy of the chosen one," he stated.

"Love Master, it was the reason for my fall, fear of losing my loved ones and it was my redemption. My love for my son and daughter brought me back," Anakin responded. "It woke me up to what was really going on, it was like I had been asleep for a long time and then I acted, no matter what the cost was to myself," he continued. "I died knowing that I had at least saved my son," he finished in a tone, which conveyed his acceptance of this.

Mace looked the Force ghost in the eyes for a few minutes before nodding his head. "Then the past is behind us Skywalker and we are again on the same side. I guess when it really mattered at the end you remembered who you really were," he told him. "I am sure Palpatine never saw it coming," he added with a tight grin before turning away.

"How is this possible?" Ben asked, shocked to see Master Mace Windu alive and well. "We all thought you were dead. We did not sense you at all," he added.

"I built a powerful force shield around myself so I would not be detected. I was going to come out of hiding when the emperor was killed, but a tremor in the force warned me away. Now it showed me that the time was right to come out and help," Mace answered.

"Er..Who is this Ben?" Luke inquired.

"I'm sorry, this is Master Mace Windu the last Jedi Council member left alive, as far as I know," Ben answered. "He somehow survived his brush with death," he added.

Anakin did his best to ignore the pain and horror he felt at seeing Windu again after so long. His action that night in cutting off Windu's sword arm had directly led to his fall, even if he had been heading in that direction for a while. If he had managed to stop him some other way maybe events would not have gone the way they had. He shook his head and tried to focus on other things. Even with their conversation putting the matter to rest he still carried the weight and pain of his actions, he guessed he always would.

"I thought there was no Jedi Masters alive in this universe?" Xander inquired. "Which is why you had to come and get us," he added.

"My force shield ensured that no one could detect me, not Jedi or Sith," Mace responded, as he looked over the people in front of him before he came to rest on the son of Anakin Skywalker. "So you are the last hope of the Jedi, trained by Yoda and Obi-Wan to lead a new order," he mused.

"And I failed," Luke shot back.

"Considering how little training you had Skywalker, you did as well as could be expected. What happened with your sister was proberly bound to happen and for all we know it could have been you who would have been turned and not your sister," Mace countered. "No, you are cleaning up the mess left behind from the end of the clone wars," he added. "We made many mistakes, as did the republic we served and you are paying for those mistakes," he assured him.

"Agree I do," Yoda spoke up. "The failure was ours in not seeing the true threat until it was too late, failed to act we did," he added. "Ja'non's survival we also did not see, his darkness you failed to detect because you were not trained fully," he explained. "Let go of your anger of yourself you must and concentrate on saving your twin you must," he advised.

Luke looked at his former master before looking at where Jaina stood and noted how sad she looked. He nodded his head, but knew it would not be an easy thing for him to do.

"What now?" Mara asked, trying to get over the fact there was a live Jedi Master in front of her.

"We continue to train and we can discuss our options as we go," Xander replied, before everyone turned and went back to their breakfast.

Mace sat alone surrounded by the Force ghosts, even Anakin. Luke wondered just how much they had to say to each other.

She sat at a table in her friend's house, in Diamond City on Correlia and blinked disbelieving at the screen of her datapad. While tears were running down her face she looked around and noted the luxurious interior of the house.

All things she saw were of the best quality and would have been quite expensive on the open market or just not be available at all now, if most of the things hadn't been made by her friend or his wife, who both were master craftsmen in different areas, among other things.

Trying to distract her thoughts a bit more, she mustered the beautiful looking fountain in the hall and the chandelier hanging above it. Blinking she looked at the fountain and saw that a part of the fountain disappeared and suddenly her friend stepped out of the hole that had opened there, after he stepped out the fountain looked whole again.

Her friend looked at her and grinned as he said, "What Jen? Don't tell me you didn't found that passage yet with your snoopy nose."

Jan shook her head. "No, I found one in your weapon chamber, but not this one, good work Praiphex."

Praiphex mock bowed before Jan and said, "I would like to take credit for that one, but this was Kiara's work, not mine." He looked at Jan for a moment and then asked with a worried tone. "Why were you crying, Jan? Kyle again?"

Jan nodded and replied, "He is alive."

Praiphex stepped closer and pulled his longtime friend into a hug and whispered. "Jan, I know you loved that blighter, but you have to let him go. It is over three years now that he went MIA."

With tearful eyes Jan mumbled, "No, he is alive, really. You know that I never stopped to check our drop boxes and looked into them from time to time since he went missing?"

Praiphex nodded.

"I did that just before you came in and there was a message from him," she said still in a disbelieving tone.

"Are you sure it was from him and not a trap?" Praiphex asked.

"Yes, after he was compromised once we installed a lot of security and a lot of codes. Not even under torture they would have got all of them correctly from him, you know Kyle and all was correct."

"So what did the message say?" Praiphex asked, now very curios to hear more.

"He was freed from an Imperial prison on Coruscant a few days ago and is now on an out of the way planet, where he joined his rescuers and now is in a training exercise," Jan told her friend.

"Ok, Kiara is still working on your 'Moldey Crow' and that will take at least take a week more. I can't believe in what a mess you brought that ship to us, but my 'Crescent Hawk' will be ready the day after tomorrow. So we will have time enough to gear up and then go find Kyle."

"We?" Jan asked.

"Of course we, first of I have a word or two to exchange with Kyle and second you really don't believe I would give you my 'Hawk' after I saw what you did with the 'Crow'. Do you?" he replied smiling.

"Yeah, I know. The attachment you Correlian have with your YT's is quite unnatural, but at least you have a newer model than General Solo used," Jan replied.

"Yeah, we could build in a few more nice things in a YT-2100 than in the old YT-1300 Han used and tomorrow the new hyperdrive should be finished, as well as my new workbench so that I have something to do on the flight. You want a nice Swoop?" Praiphex asked.

Jan just shook her head and thought, 'Boys and their toys' loud she said. "Thank you, bro."

Two weeks later

The day had not started that well in Luke's opinion, perhaps it was the cold wet rain or the fact that he manage to discover exactly how cold the water in the muddy water hole really was. During their morning run they had all taken the same road each and every day. They had run over an old fallen tree stump that lay like a bridge over the water hole. Xander with his full armor and a ship load of weapons had run right over it with no problem and he was only the first. Jaina, Dawn all with heavy armor and weapons, Kyle with light armor, but heavy weapons and the tree stump held.

It held for Jade, thanks for small favors, he had no urge to see his friend who he had started to feel quite a lot for in the last weeks, half drown in the dirty water.

Then he came armed with a lightsaber and no armor and it broke, sending him crashing down in the coldest dirtiest water he ever had the bad luck of ending up in.

Luke -mud monster- Skywalker was forced to run back, shower and change to something clean. Just to get rid of the leeches he had stuck on his body and suffer the humiliation of having both Danni and R3 Xander's droid that apparently had healer droid programming making sure the leeches did not poison him.

The day could have started better.

As he saw the others run into camp tired and wet from the local rain he reconsidered. He got a whole extra hour resting today.

Perhaps this was a good day.

The breakfast was as normal blend with a bad taste on the side, but hungry as they where they would have eaten steel plating if that was offered.

Now it was time to train battle again.

"Right, today we are going to do something different," Xander said. "Home in my academy this is part of the training exercise all of them have to do." He looked at them "What is the single greatest weakness both Sith and Jedi have?" He saw that Dawn was waving her hand. "No Dawn let the others guess."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Over confidence, they put their trust in their force powers so much they are handicapped when the power of the force can't solve the problem."

Xander blinked. "Alright not what I was thinking about, but correct. You could argue yourself blind what weakness is the greatest. I think the overconfidence is second greatest weakness a Jedi or a Sith suffers from, but the weakness I think about should be obvious to those of you with military training. Yet it is not."

Jade frowned. "This is silly, but are you thinking about team work? I mean that can't be it. Can it?"

Xander grinned. "Give the girl a hug Luke, she got it. Yes team work is the greatest weakness. Both Sith and Jedi relies on themselves far too much. The lacking of teamwork is also connected to the overconfidence problem. Home we have our lovely Force Guardians and Force Rangers to keep us connected to reality. Force Rangers are people with no training or ability in the force, but a Master Ranger is part of the Jedi council to advice us Jedi. Just as a Master Guardian is part of our council, both as equals because our new Jedi order has recognized that it is a weakness we have."

Luke nodded. "I think I understand, but I would say it's overconfidence that's the main problem."

Xander shrugged. "I can't do anything about overconfidence as a problem, but I can teach you how to work as a team. Give you the training and understanding that sometimes you have to put your trust in other people's skills and abilities. This training has been proven to help a Jedi overcome his own overconfidence."

Mace who has listened to this only could nod in agreement to those things, as much as it hurt to see that Xander is right in those things. He was wary at first of the young Jedi Master, but he really seemed to know what he was doing.

Jaina interrupted Xander. "Normally at home we do training drills where Jedi trainees and non-force user like the Force Rangers are teamed up to do some battle drills. We instruct them to try to solve the problem using all the available resources. It teaches our Jedi to respect and put their trust in the skill of our Force rangers and help them work together. Most Jedi nowadays work side by side with a Force ranger and if they are lucky a Force Guardian. We don't have that many yet."

Luke frowned. "So how are we going to do that training here?" he asked.

Xander replied. "By doing one part of the training, both, Jedi and Sith, lack the ability to work in teams. Even when two or more Jedi team up to fight against a darksider they don't work together that well. It is one of the reasons so many Jedi dies, even when they are two or more against a Darksider. They fight one against one and are not combining their skill and ability at the same time against the darksider."

Kyle was now frowning as he considered the idea. It was not a new idea. A team working together well did not double their potential strength. It increased by a factor around four times in rare times even more, if the team was fighting in perfect harmony. Just as a team that did not work together or combine their skills during the fight would actually fight with less then half their own skills, because they would constantly get in each other's way. It's wasn't rare that friendly fire came from a friendly team. "You are right. Each training I have seen so far is one VS one. The books you let me read is one Jedi VS one darksider or one Jedi VS many enemies."

Luke was thinking hard as he looked back on his past training. Each of his masters in the force had trained him to fight by himself and to rely only on himself, unlike his trainer in piloting and his time in Rogue Squadron. He knew all to well how much a good team's strength increased. "I agree."

Jade nodded to herself.

Xander smiled. "We do some exercises where we take turn being the president and being an evil one. The others are his bodyguards."

Luke, Kyle and Jade blinked their eyes in confusion.

"I can explain," Dawn said, waving her hand and when Xander nodded she said, "It's simple one is the president. The president can't fight. He can only run. The others have to protect him from enemy attacks and Xander is going to set those remote seeker droids out to shoot the president. Buffy and Rona are going to attack with lightsabers. Our mission is to go from point A to point B without loosing the president. Right?"

Xander nodded, they had done this exercise many times. "We're going to use training lightsabers during this exercise. If one of the aggressors is hit, she is dead for nine seconds. Then she can attack again. In this exercise we limit the use of the force. No telekinetic or similar skills."

Luke looked at Kyle and Jade before asking. "How will we do this then?"

Xander looked "South side of the island is home. I put a flag in the safe spot and the president is safe if he is home. North side," he pointed at a flag R6 just planted into the ground, "is the starting point. If the president is standing by the starting flag he is safe for five minutes then he has to move away from it." He grinned. "I think that Dawn you are the president. Luke, Kyle and Jade are the bodyguards. The 'EVIL ONES' are Buffy, Rona and I. Remember girls, they are new at this exercise, so give them some slack until they work together. Jaina you are the judge."

Buffy, Rona and Jaina nodded.

Dawn swallowed. "eeep. Help me. You're my only hope."

Nearby R3 activated the seekers, small ball shaped robots with tiny blasters, so called stingers on them. They hurt, but did not really wound a person. They were a perfect training tool to teach Jedi to dodge or parry blaster bolts. He activated only four seekers to begin with.

Xander looked at them all and said, "Remember the PRESIDENT is unable to protect him or herself from the seeker attack. If the president is shot he is dead and you have failed. If one of us hits the president, you fail."

He pulled up a pair of training lightsaber snap hiss. Snap hiss.

"Let the game begin."

The seeker came in high and fast. Mace watched this for a few minutes before he turned and went back to his own training. He had decided to leave Master Harris and his friends to continue training Luke and Mara, as they had undated techniques which seemed to work quite well. He had joined Han Solo in training on their own to get fit again.

Dawn begin to run as quickly as she could under Jade's cover. Both Kyle and Luke followed on the side.

The attack started way to fast, as both Kyle and Luke parried the same blaster bolt Jade parried the second one and the fourth.

"Ouch that hurts," said Dawn. "Damn it, now I died. This is so you fault," she said pointing at Kyle and stomped back to the flag.

"Well now you see the use of team work. Dawn back to the flag and Dawn, you have done this before. Remember how you solved this then," Xander said.

Dawn blinked. "Oh yeah, Lexa, Anakin and I talked it through during our five minutes of safety." She was almost jumping. "Oh I get it. I get it."

Xander shook his head and moved away from sight.

Back at the north flag Dawn said, "Right. We all chose an area to guard. Luke left side and front, Kyle right side and front. Jade my backside and above me," she blinked then slowly started to smile. Quickly moving away and whispering in her communicator she sent a short message. "R5, song no 98 on my command."

Luke slapped his head. "Of course, we all just rushed away like idiots." He did not care to mention that it was because Dawn had started to run and they just had followed, caught up in the rush. He wondered what the girl was whispering about.

"Four and a half," Jaina yelled. "Better start moving guys."

"Eeep," Dawn screamed and the game was one.

R3 had fun controlling the seeker droids playing assassin droid. It was something he had done lots of times before and he had over sixteen seekers he could use when the game started to become more advanced.

This time, the moment they rushed out, the seekers were on to them, but both, Luke and Kyle, moved faster then the seekers could sent the stinger bolts and then sent the bolts back at the seekers making them deactivate for a short moment.

Then Rona attacked. "Death to El Presidento," she screamed in joy.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," Dawn screamed, while running even faster. She grabbed the communicator and yelled, "Now R5, now."

Rona and the rest run after her.

Xander sighed while seeing Dawn hunted by Rona, Rona hunted by Luke and Kyle, and Jade desperately trying to run at Dawn's speed while giggling. He blinked, where was that music coming from? He looked down at his communicator and blinked it was playing Yakety Sax. He sat down enjoying the show that had just turned funnier, as Buffy joined in hunting Dawn, while being hunted by Kyle.

Jade, Kyle and Luke blinked and almost stopped when a strange music started to play in a fast beat on their portable radio.

Buffy and Rona that both grow up on Earth and seen the Benny Hill show were now giggling madly as they tried to catch the president.

Four hours later it was time for lunch by then all of them had taken turns being president.

So far none had made it back to HOME with a living president, but they were coming close.

Han and Mace came back from their run and joined them. They were almost wiped out from the increased pace they had set for themselves. Mace had kept in shape, but he was still somewhat off from having not had to push himself for a long time. He quickly grabbed some food and water and began to eat and Han quickly followed his example. He was in much better shape now than he had been two weeks ago and he just hoped that when the time came it would be worth it, especially when they confronted Leia.

As they were eating lunch the two older men joined Jade, sitting down on each side of her.

"This training is hard, but the kids sure know their stuff," Kyle said with pride. His counterpart must have been one hell of a tough son of a bitch or the kids have been trough hell and back repeatedly. He hoped it was just his dimensional counterpart that had trained them to hard. Somehow it felt wrong.

Luke nodded. "Never been in this good of a shape before," he said thinking it over before continuing, "or so tired before."

Kyle snorted out a laugh. "Know what you mean. You had it bloody easy in the beginning all those Jedi healing crap and meditation let us recover faster. You knew them, I did not."

Luke rolled his eyes.

"Kyle, the moment you mastered those skills, they picked up the speed and the hardness of the training. You know that," Jade stated.

Kyle nodded. "Well. Yeah. Still all fly boys are soft spoiled nancy boys compared to real soldiers," he said grinning.

Luke sighed. 'Would Kyle ever stop teasing him about being a fly boy? Most likely no,' he thought. "I know they know what they are doing. I learned more about the lightsaber forms these weeks then I have learned from all my earlier teachers and the team work exercises? I wonder why the Jedi did not think of that before."

Kyle shrugged. "Who knows?"

The shimmering image of Anakin appeared beside them. They had seen many Force ghosts, some they never had seen before, visiting. When Xander said he was a ghost magnet he was not kidding, that was for sure. The Force ghosts said that visiting Xander took less energy for them.

"You are wrong. The Jedi and the Sith, both, trained themselves in team work once, once when the Jedi had numbers that were greater than we had. Jedi were trained to work in small teams of Padawan's under a more experience Jedi or a Jedi master. Later when the number had dwindled, the Jedi order trained Jedi to work with Republic soldiers. Sadly that tradition was lost during the long years of peace," Anakin explained.

"Dad, is there a reason you arrived here?" Luke asked curios while smiling at his father's ghost.

Anakin smiled at him. "Just a short visit, I have seen your improvement and I am proud. Before your training is over, you will have to face you greatest enemies, your own fear and anger. Leia's fall has made you doubt yourself and your abilities, but you cannot blame yourself for her actions. You are a child of the Force, always remember that," he said before he faded away again.

Kyle shook his head.

Luke was silent his apatite was long gone and this time it was not the fault of the food.

Jade so wanted to hug him and ease his fears away with soft comforting words, but she could not at the moment. Anything she did would just force those fears to hide, just to return later.

Luke would have to find help and strength inside himself. "I believe in you Luke," she said simply.

The man she come to care about nodded and then moved away into the eternal fog, vanishing from sight quickly.

The swamp hardly made a sound, as he walked along the muddy path they always run along. He stopped by the water and mud filled pit he so recently had taken a bath in.

Looking at the dark pit was like seeing the twisted evil looking eyes of Leia back at him.

"Why sister, why?" Luke asked.

"I can always feel him, my twin brother Jacen I mean. Whenever we go out into other dimensions, it's like an empty hole in my heart is filled with pain and longing. Force twins. Two side of a coin but still connected, still part of a whole." Jaina said, while sitting down beside him. "Xander and the Force ghosts said that Anakin brought balance to the force. With us and with you, all of us with Skywalker blood and those of Xander's blood can dive deeper inside the darkness and return to light."

Luke watched her spellbound by what she said. "You think she could return?"

Jaina shrugged. "She's mom. In my reality you fell for the darkness, because the emperor returned, but mom and dad pulled you back. Mom or Leia..., you have to listen to the voice inside of you, the force allows it to guide you. Perhaps you can bring her back and save her. Perhaps you can save her by ending her pains," she said with tear filled eyes. "Whatever you do uncle, I know it will be the right thing to do. I trust in you and I love you uncle."

Luke nodded hugging his niece closer. A niece that would never be born here, thanks to Leia's fall. How unfair that was.

If he cried or not, Jaina could not tell as the rain started to fall making his face drip of water. She never could image seeing the mighty LUKE SKYWALKER this vulnerable and hurt and worse, so lost.

But what would she do if Jacen had fallen to the darkside? Could she kill part of herself and survive?

Back at the camp Danni looked out at the direction and sighed sadly, if she only could help him, but she knew that would not work. His trust in himself was broken and only he could heal it the right way.

Then the rain came and the world was crying.

"Let's cut today's training short," Xander said. "Tomorrow we make up for being lazy today."

"Hyper. Xander, can I go and explore the swamp?" Dawn asked. She had seen some strange things out there and was curios.

Xander opened his mouth and then closed it again. He looked over at Buffy and Rona and saw the two of them shook their heads. They were tired.

Buffy glared back at him.

"Sure Dawn, let's go," Xander said.

"Yay adventure," she yelled.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Kyle said to Jade.

"No idea, but I feel the same way." She shrugged. "Just think about it. What kind of trouble could that girl really find out here?"

Buffy hanged her head and banged it on the table she sat at. "You just had to jinx us."

Meanwhile, armed with his lightsabers and a Thunderer, Xander walked after Dawn, as she carefully navigated the swamp. "Dawn try to use the force, spread out your weight equally along the surface then glide above it."

Dawn blinked, looking back at where Xander stood and then she blinked again. "Hey that's unfair, you are doing a Jesus," she whined. Seeing Xander was standing on top of the water.

Xander grinned. "Yeah and I told you how to do it. Use your telekinetic skill to spread out your weight on top of the water and the mud under your feet and you to will do a Jesus." He suddenly waved his hand wildly along, as he almost fell down. "It's like standing on ice, really slippery ice."

She blinked grinning. "Ice skating, I rock in that." She walked out only to sink in knee deep.

Frowning she focused and slowly rose out of the water, standing on unsteady feet now and then waving her arms to keep herself upright.

"Wow this is hard," she whined. "But fun." Slowly she pushed off with her feet, as she started to skate forward. "It's real fun."

Xander followed wiggling around like a drunk as he tried to keep up. "Dawn, DAWN not so Sith spit fast," he yelled. Damn it there she vanished into the rain.

Meanwhile an YT-2100 dropped out of hyperspace and prepared to land on Gelgelar.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Dawn sighed, when would that slow bloke arrive? She so waited like forever for him to arrive.

Then a fuzzy shape appeared in the fog, it was moving like a drunk on roller blades. "Xander," she yelled and waved her hands. "Who taught you to ride a skateboard?"

"I did ride skateboards. Never said I was good at it. Beside this is so different," Xander said and relaxed a bit as he felt his feet reach solid ground.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Look at that," she said, pointing behind her. "I thought I saw something and I did." It was a strange thing. It looked like a spacer chest had been dropped by someone.

In front of them was a sight Xander did not like to see. "Oh crap," he yelled, but then it was too late. The ground under them fell down and tentacles flew out of the ground, grabbed them and started to pull them down.

"Sarlacc," Xander screamed.

Then it got dark.

He felt foggy and weird, like he was moving through quicksand. Opening his eyes he looked around in to a grey world.

A strange voice seemed to speak in his mind. "Watch this," it said.

Then Xander saw a child, a Sullustan child, walking by. "Mom, where are you mom?" it screamed.

Xander began moving, but was stopped by the voice. "It's just a memory, watch."

Xander frowned and was trying to shake the fog out of his head. Slowly it started to vanish. The memory was gone and he was in darkness again. "Who are you? Where am I?"

He was faced with darkness.

"Xander, where are you?" he heard in his head. Dawn, It was Dawn.

"Here, I am here," he said.

"Why can't I see anything?" Dawn asked in near panic.

Then another voice interrupted them. "You are like us trapped and being consumed alive."

Xander blinked as the memory returned. "The Sarlacc, it caught us," he said in shock.

"What? But why can't we see?" Dawn asked. "Did it blind us?" she started to worry now.

Xander let go and felt his body with the force. "No, not yet, it trapped us and we are asleep, Dawn. Our bodies are full of drugs and other substances keeping us asleep. "Who are you?" he asked the alien voice.

It seemed amused. "Me? I'm food. I was a Sullustan ranger once, until the Sarlacc trapped me. I have seen others come and go, but it kept me partly alive, partly dead. A ghost inside of it, you can call me Bufan."

Dawn swallowed. "What do you mean, Bufan?" she asked.

"The Sarlacc is a plant. A true omnivorous, a mix between silicon and carbon life form and it can eat anything or any one. When it eats sentient beings, strange things happen. It absorbs the beings intelligence or part of it. It can keep its food alive or partly alive for hundreds of years. Most of my body is consumed nowadays. Part of my head is the only thing alive on me. My memory, my experience, my personality and I'm not the only one trapped in here. Lots of animals and even other intelligent beings have been eaten by the Sarlacc," Bufan replied.

Dawn swallowed. "Xander...," she whispered.

But he did not answer. Instead he focused his skill and was trying to cleanse his body off the drugs that kept it asleep.

Bufan continued. "A Sarlacc is part plant part animal, depending on its age. It starts like a tiny seed drifting true space, until it finds a solar system with a planet suitable for life. After it has crashed down, the seed opens and a wormlike being crawls out. It's a Sarlacc larval, it spends a long time digging around and attacking other life forms. It sucks their blood and consumes their flesh until it has grown large enough, then it becomes immobile and it becomes more plant like and female or the larval finds a female Sarlacc and mates with it.

The mating always ends with the death of the male, as it's consumed by the female. A plant and a female is powerful it can fire its seeds out into orbit. The Sarlacc does that by firing it out just as a big old cannon. The explosion sometimes kills the Sarlacc itself. Once the seeds are out there they either crash down again, often burning up from the atmospheric entry or it grows thin solar sails. Those capture the rays of the sun and then they help it to move between the stars. There the seed will spend millenniums traveling between the stars, somehow able to discover planets it's able to survive on. Sometimes the seed makes mistakes. Asteroids with small sized Sarlacc's have been discovered.

The Sarlacc's appearance depends on its food. It can easily mutate and adapt to whatever environment it lives in or on. A Sarlacc thrives on wet worlds and it's rare for them to survive in deserts or in space, but it happens if it has the correct food during it young days. Once it reaches the female stage, its stationary stage, it has several stomachs in which it can move the food between them. The main stomach is where it consumes the food. The others that are spread out are like hibernation chambers. They keep the food alive all the while it slowly dissolve and consume parts of them. The Sarlacc's intelligence depends on how smart the food has been. I did say stationary did I not? That's a bit untrue. Even during its plant stage the Sarlacc can move, just extremely slow. It can dig itself forward perhaps a meter per day to find new places to hunt, if the old one becomes out hunted."

Dawn swallowed "You are creeping me out," she stated. "How do you know this much about them?"

"I read up on them. I heard rumors about a Sarlacc and went out to find it. Sadly it found me. This one is smart. It uses traps to lure others in, a fake treasure or part of an animal to lure other beast down its stomach. I have not much to do down here, except talk to the Sarlacc or to the others that are inside of it. All of us depend on the Sarlacc ability to keep us alive. I am ashamed to say that I look forward to have some new people to talk to in the short time we have left. You see our Sarlacc is pregnant with seeds. It has been capturing more and more food, digging up minerals and mixed them up, as it creates its own explosive charge, which will send its seeds flying into orbit.

That explosion often kills a young Sarlacc, even a strong and healthy Sarlacc like this one will be so damaged after the explosion that it will need decades to recover and heal. A time in which it is totally consuming anything inside it, just to survive, if the explosion doesn't kill us, its fight to survive will. "

Dawn swallowed her tears. This was it, she would be food of a freak beast, which was both plant and animal, far more plant then animal sure but still.

Beside her Xander's body suddenly opened its eyes, which were glittering in green and yellow. "Bitch you are going down," he said, as he focused a massive force wave around him, which threw him away from the wall and ripped out the tentacles that kept him trapped.

With bleeding arms he landed on the ground using the force to sense the extent of damage on his body. He thanked the force that he had armor. The Sarlacc had only penetrated his hands and it was slowly trying to remove his armor. So he was mostly undamaged.

So was Dawn. He saw her hanging on the wall next to him still sleeping. The tentacles only touched the skin on her hands and in the face.

He moved forward quickly using the force to pull her down to him. He used the force to put her in a healing trance and then activated his lightsaber in the last moment as the tentacles on the wall suddenly attacked.

Spinning around like a whirlwind his two blades created a green and yellow circle of death and destruction.

Xander frowned as he heard a sound. Water, no acid, was being pumped inside. He looked up and saw flesh all around him they must be inside one of the minor stomachs Bufan talked about.

Alright prepare for stomach ache. With a slash, cut and stab he attacked the roof, cutting out deep slices from the Sarlacc and then suddenly muddy water came flushing down the hole he had made.

Spitting out the dirt he saw they were almost knee deep in acid and now water was coming down the hole.

He took a better hold on Dawn and tied her to his back, using his rope from his tool belt. "Don't fall of Dawn. Don't fall of," he said.

Dawn blinked. "I. I'm holding on," she said having just woken up because the cold shower shocked her free of the healing sleep. Now sensing how wounded she was, she activated her own Jedi healing skill, but kept herself awake.

"Good, don't let go. Don't let go, Dawn." He looked up and saw that the Sarlacc had almost healed the wound in its secondary stomach.

Now with Dawn firmly attached he activated his lightsaber and pulled the size control, extending it to its max length of two meters. Now he truly started to cut is way free.

A water fall came crashing down on him as he had penetrated the body of the stomach. It was filled with muddy slimy water. He felt the dirt slime around inside his gills, as he used the force to jump, climb and swim up the waterfall and the hole he had just cut.

Dawn was holding her breath. Time was running out unless they got out in the free fresh air again. Xander felt the same way. The mud made it impossible for his Gils to work.

Then suddenly the muddy water was no more, they were swimming in clear water again. Above them they could see the sky. Not that Xander felt any difference for his gills even as they cleared out most of the mud the water was filled with bubbly gasses of carbon monoxide and carbon oxide created from the molding rotting plants and animal parts under the surface. In this water even a fish would drown.

"AIR," Dawn screamed in joy as they broke the surface.

"Air," Xander said just as happy.

Xander nodded and blew air through his gills, cleaning them from water and mud. "Yeah, air." He had almost forgotten how bad the feeling of drowning was.

Dawn blinked as she dried of some mud from her face. "That was creepy and fun," She said smiling. "I wonder how many have ever survived being inside a monster like that. You think there is a club we could join?"

Xander sighed. "We could start one, I guess." He started to swim ashore.

(Coruscant)

Leia sat on her throne and wondered when Luke and the rebels would strike. Her troops continued to train and prepare, but she was concerned because she did not know when they would attack. She had ordered dozens of her spies to try and find any rebel bases and gain information on the coming attack.

Kaira watched her mistress, knowing she was concerned and hoped she would be able to help keep her mind off the coming trouble.

(Rebellion hideout)

Lando sat down next to Ackbar, Wedge as well as Barc, Wilson and finally Jaxs as the meeting got underway. They all listened as the reports on how things were going were read out. Lando was happy to hear that the last of the critical injuries of the people hit on Cloud City had finally recovered. He glanced over at at Wedge and noticed the dark look he gained as he recalled the fall of the city, where he too had been injured,

The fleet they had was brought back into working order as the repairs to the older ships were finished, whilst the newer ones were added into the fleet once they were completed. Training was continuing all over the base for all kinds of work. However they did not have an attack date or any other piece of information yet on when or how the attack would go.

Lando leaned back and hoped Luke returned soon.

Jaina blinked in surprise and so did Luke, Kyle, Buffy and Rona.

A tired dirty looking Xander walked, with a just as dirty and tired looking Dawn beside him into the camp. Both had bandages on their hands and face.

Danni quickly rushed over to help them.

"What happened?" Jaina asked.

"Dawn and I found a Sarlacc and it found it difficult to digest us," Xander replied tired.

"It was so cool. Xander just swished, slashed, dug and crawled his way out of the monster with me on his back," Dawn said in one breath and with a happy voice. "Then we almost drowned," she continued with a smile that seemed to light up the place more then the sun and moon ever could.

Buffy sighed. "Oh Dawn, can't I let you out anywhere without you finding trouble?"

Dawn looked honestly confused. "But it was no trouble. We were just in and out of the monster." She frowned. "Sure, for a moment it looked like it had us trapped, but it did not. It was just Xander's plan to find out information before we busted our way out." She finished of just as Danni, after reading the medical scan she did on Dawn, injected her with the correct healing medication R3 had given her.

Buffy looked at Xander slightly glaring.

Xander shock his head at her. Slowly Buffy started to understand.

Danni silently moved over to Xander. "What really happened?"

"Sith spit, I'm not sure. Suddenly I saw tentacles and then everything was dark. It totally surprised me. Inside the Sarlacc I did notice that it has only a tiny and easy to miss presence in the force. It blends in with the other plants around it and camouflages itself in the force and in nature itself, almost a perfect ambush." He was silent for a moment and then continued. "Almost like when we do Force stealth, we blend in and diffuse our presence in the force to make it harder to be detected."

Danni nodded and let her scanner wander over Xander. "Well you got a nasty bump on the back of your head. Dawn does not have it so there is a moment between your capture and when you woke up that only Dawn knows about."

"From what she is telling what ever happened during that moment, her memory has already changed," Xander said sadly.

Danni nodded. "Poor Dawn."

Kyle, Luke and Mara who were listening, could not help themselves and asked, "Why poor Dawn?"

Xander looked at them for a moment and then replied. "Because Dawn's happiness disorder causes memory changes if she suffers a memory to terrible to fit inside her perfect little world."

Jade eyes opened up in shock. "By the Force, the girl must have thought that you are dead or something, trapped inside that monster trying to remove her armor, so it could eat her up. That's terrible."

Danni nodded. "Yes, poor Dawn."

Buffy had walked up silently and sat down. "She was not always like that. In Sunny-D, our original home in a different reality, one without the Force, she was just a normal girl. No disorder, but the journey over to where Xander was? It almost killed us. Dawn, Willow and I almost died. It felt like something was ripped out of our soul when we came here. From me it was the Slayer essence. From Willow the witch magic and Dawn? She had a little training in magic from Giles, Willow and Tara. She also held the power of the Key, an ability to open a rift between dimensions. She still has part of the key, but there were a lot of things that were removed violently from her soul and the power of the Key it rebuilt us and made us survive when we should have died." She took a deep breath. "Just like it did with that vampire, it removed the demon inside it and made it something different, but just as evil, a dark side beast."

Xander nodded, grabbed a crystal and projected a picture of a vampire. "In Sunny-D, where we came from, there are vampires. They are essentially un-dead, animated by a demon-spirit and they need blood to live off. The demon could not survive in a force universe, so it was removed. Normally that should have killed the vampire, but the Key kept the vampire alive or undead and found an alternative."

Luke whispered, "The dark side of the force."

Xander nodded. "Indeed, a vampire is created when another vampire forces its blood inside a human and then drains it off blood so that the human dies. It then revives as a new vampire with a demon inside of them. The Force mutated vampire does the same, but with parasitic blood worms inside their blood." He showed them picture of vampire blood with worms inside it. Worms that quickly died from the sun light outside the body. "It revives as a monster, a total utter psychopath and that is its good side. The rest of its nature is more evil then a psychopath could ever hope to be."

"A wise old Jedi said there is balance in all life. Our dimension got Force Guardians to help the light side of the force. Therefore the dark side got force-vampires," Buffy explained.

Xander smiled. "When Buffy, Dawn and Willow arrived the key used the force to heal them and replace what was lost. We, that's my mom, dad and R3 all of them are healers and doctors, think it gave Dawn a happiness disorder to replace something she suffered from that does not exist in a force dimension."

"I think the key or the force just made a mistake. It saved Willow's life, the vampire' life, Dawn's life and mine as well, all at the same time. Maybe it was too much for it to handle," Buffy said.

"And that's my idea too," Danni said and glared at R3 for a moment. That rust bucket was so wrong in this. The droid seem to glare back. It was NOT wrong.

Luke snorted in amusement. "That sounds like an old argument."

Buffy, Xander and Danni all said at the same time. "You have NO idea." From the side R3 agreed they had so many arguments on that area.

Mara looked at Dawn, who was happily talking and telling the story to Rona. She looked just like any normal 16 or 17 year old girl would, but in the force there was a slight different sense to her, an aura of happiness or trust. "She doesn't understand the full danger of her disorder," she said.

Sadly Danni shook her head. "No, its part of the disorder's nature. She tends to forget things that trouble her. Scary and uncomfortable things are soon forgotten. Not replaced, but forgotten or edited in her mind. Learning from her own mistakes is possible, just difficult. That's why we always keep an eye out on her."

"That's the down side. The upside is that she is loyal to a fault and she could never be tempted by the dark side. It has nothing to temp her with. She has a way of making everybody around her happy and she is willing to fight like a rancor to save and protect her friends. I know that sounds strange, but think about it. She does know and does understand that there are things that can kill those she care about. So she is willing to fight to protect them and would never give up the fight until she is dead or the enemy is driven away."

Kyle sighed. "I noticed that never give up spirit. She whines and complains when you force us to run a 50 km long run before the breakfast, but once she started she did it with a smile and was even teasing us."

The run had been a lesson in combining the force power of increase speed with force healing and force recovery. Causing them to run that in record time and recover the strain on their body faster than most could believe possible for the human body. That did not mean they felt good doing it or that it was not painful and difficult. It was both painful and difficult doing all that at the same time as they were running in almost full speed.

Xander nodded with a fond smile. "Yeah, now we have trouble next door, trouble which is spelled like Sarlacc." He took a deep breath. This could be made into a lesson. "Right lets pretend this is a Jedi council and the Sarlacc is a criminal dark Jedi. I vote preemptive defense of the civilians in the area. The criminal has chosen to live in isolation deep in the swamp away from others, but has preyed on those living in the area around him. Using traps to ensnare them and lured them to their death if they come to close to his home."

Kyle blinked. 'What the?' Then he started to think. "You said we should pretend this is a criminal dark Jedi right? The Jedi order does not believe in revenge, but this looks like a natural case of justice. We should bring in the criminal and have him stand trail."

Luke thought this felt ridicules. "I think we should try to make use of the fact that he seeks to live in isolation. That does not sound like a true darksider. Perhaps we could send a Jedi down there and make sure the natives do not disturb him. He could be struggling and trying to return to the light. Showing understanding we may save him and gain an ally."

Mara was silently thinking about it. Both side had good reasons. Save him and gain an ally or bring him in for justices. "Before we do anything, we should check the laws of the planet. If the law says a person could kill anybody trespassing on their land, then the dark Jedi is not breaking any laws. Unless he lures them in to his land before he kills them." She took a deep breath. "The scenario is faulty, as we don't have enough information to make a good decision."

Xander nodded. "I agree with Jade. I gave you way too little information. On the other hand it was a spur of the moment idea. All of you have the correct decision, depending on the true nature of the situation, one that I have not clearly stated." He saw both of them were about to open their mouth. "I know a planet where a person of male gender is considering criminal if you can see his eyes unshielded by sun-glasses. The term darkside criminal is used without any precision. All in all it was a bad example." He sighed. "Biije, a Bith Jedi master and the co-master on my academy, is a master at making an example out of almost anything. He is also a grand master in form Zero. I'm trying to learn from him."

This made both Kyle and Luke shut up.

Xander smirked. "Anyway we have a dangerous life form at hand. A Sarlacc is not a native from this planet, from what the ghost inside of it told me and its eating local farmers. So I say lets destroy it after I rested a while. I feel bruised, poisoned and half drowned."

"I thought you had gills, how can you drown?" Luke asked curios.

"For you information, gills do not work in mud and the swamp water around here has little oxygen in it. It is mostly carbon gasses from dissolving plants that's bubbling around inside it, creating this wonderful smell you can always sense," Xander explained.

"Ouch. So in other words, in this water you can drown just as easily as we can," Luke stated.

Xander just nodded with a shiver

Kyle shook his head in disgust. He hated this dirty mud ball of a planet. On the other hand it was the perfect training place. It had everything a student would dislike, as a motivation to learn fast. He knew exactly what world he would use to teach any student he would have in the future. "Master Xander you are tired, wounded and need a healing rest. I take care of the fruit plant."

"I help you," Luke said.

Kyle grinned. "Was a long time since I last had fun with explosive stuff. This will be fun."

Xander frowned. It was supposed to be a free day for them, so why not? "Alright, remember a Sarlacc thrives on wet worlds. It is almost totally invisible out there and hidden in the swamp and worse they have little presence in the force. If you sense it using the force, you are standing to close." He had a feeling that there was something more he should warn them about, but no idea what. As the other food inside the Sarlacc started to go on and on, he tuned it out and ignored it.

They nodded.

Han just shook his head about that and as he considered the training he himself had gone through to get fit again, first alone and then with Mace, he decided that he would use the 'off day' to relax as well. "I will go back to the Free Port and pick up news and a few other things. Mace will you join me?" he asked the older Jedi, who in turn just nodded.

Xander sighed. "Have fun and be careful. Tomorrow I'm going to show Luke and the others how to imbue armor with the force," he said before relaxing in a healing trance.

Kyle was smiling like a child on Feet Week. He had the chance to make things go boom.

Luke followed him with a bit more serious look on his face. He did remember the Sarlacc on Tatooine the pit of Carkoon.

A short time later

It did not take the two warriors long to back track Xander and Dawn's movements to the place of the Sarlacc.

Naturally they found nothing there. There was nothing to see, just a swampy hill.

"Hey, it's trying to be invisible," Kyle said while trying to find it.

Luke nodded and pushed his hand down in the mud, as he focused his force sense, trying to sense the earth and the things living or growing under it. Soon Kyle felt a bumping sound coming from Luke's hand. He knew that Luke was using telekinetic push on the ground, but why?

Luke was silent as he switched between different ways of detecting reality. Finally using his sense of touch, grossly over powered, combined with a small telekinetic push until it worked almost like a ground base sonar and then he detected it.

Slowly he returned his senses to normal humans and opened his eyes. "Top of the hill is the mouth. It has clusters of tentacles all over the hill. The wound Xander crawled out of is around twenty meters away from us to the right half circle around the hill."

Kyle looked at his fellow trainee and asked, "How the Sith spit did you know that?"

Luke grinned. "Watch your mouth." He snickered. "I used force push and then force senses, until I could use my sense of touch like a sonar. The force itself helped me interpret the information."

Kyle blinked. "That's..."

Luke smiled. "You did hear Xander say you could use Force sense to see in darkness. Using heat vision if you like or just use the force to detect what is around you. This is not much different. The difficulty lies in how slow it is. The stranger the way you wish to perceive reality around you the slower this method works," he said smiling and looked Kyle in the eyes. "Why don't you try it? I guide you through it."

"I... I don't know if I could," Kyle said worried and then blinked as Luke held his right hand. "Trust me," Luke said.

Nodding Kyle pushed his hand down in the mud.

Luke started to speak in an almost hypnotic voice. "Now you have to make slow force pushes into the ground like the thumping sound of your heart beat. Then increase you sense of touch, mimic the way you ears and eyes work. Let the force guide you until it works. It's not hard, it's just slow and most give up before it works. So don't give up, just keep trying to switch methods until it works."

Kyle nodded. A thumping sound was once again heard and he sensed things, wrong things, slowly. Far to slow he started to sense things underground and then he could see it in a 3D black and white picture, the Sarlacc. "Gigantic," he said stumbling back blind as a bat, until his normal human vision returned. It took almost two minutes.

Luke held him so he would not stumble. "I know. Hyper right?"

Kyle nodded. "Why did it take so long for my normal senses to return?"

Luke replied, "I did tell you. The stranger the way you wish to detect reality around you, the longer it takes. That also include the return of you normal physical way to sense reality. Of course if you train in this the faster it will work. It will become easy to do, as you brain will adapted and learn."

Kyle nodded. "I think this will be at trick I will train myself in." As an infiltrator being able to see under the earth itself was a gift to big not to use.

'Around the galaxy Kyle's enemies felt fear hit them in the back of their head.'

They were silent for a moment, as both of them were thinking about what they had seen.

"There were seven, no nine smaller chambers and one main chamber in the center plant and then lots of roots, stretching out almost two hundred meters," Kyle said.

"It's nine," Luke said. "This is a big one."

Kyle nodded carefully. "I don't sense anybody alive in there do you?"

Luke took a deep breath as he extended his force sense, seeing without eyes things far away or just sensing the presences in the force. "Yes and no. I sense lots of animals and partial consumed sentience beings. They... It is difficult to describe those sentient trapped inside. They are still alive, but more dead than alive. It feels like they have merged and become part of the Sarlacc. It's keeping part of them alive, even if it has eaten most if not all of their bodies."

Kyle shook his head. "Don't know about you, but I like to get a closer look. Join me?"

Luke blinked. "You are crazy." He grinned. "Sure. We fight our way down and out, right?"

Kyle's grin was pure evil. "You bet. Once down we plant the bomb and get out of there."

The two warriors moved as one. The team fighting Xander had given them had paid off. As the tentacles rose up to catch them, a duo of blades activated with a hiss and were cut in half.

Cutting and slicing the two moved quickly side by side. They were almost running, as they came up to the big mouth of the Sarlacc and not even caring, they jumped feet first, slicing the tentacles trying to trap them.

They did not fall long as Kyle grabbed a hold on an unwilling tentacle and slided down on its back to the wall of the Sarlacc.

Luke was hanging on the wall like a big fly on a bleeding wound. Below them was a bubbling pit of acid. "Right lets not fall all the way then," Luke said. "Look over there one of the lesser chambers."

The walls all around them were filled with tentacles reaching for them and trying to catch them. It took a lot of cutting to create a free safe zone inside the stomach of the beast.

Kyle grinned. "Yeah, let's move quickly the walls fill with grabby tentacles."

The two started to fight, jump and climb their way to the lesser chamber.

Inside it was clear that it was a smaller stomach. All around them birds, animals and lizards of all kinds were merged with the wall and they were slowly dissolving.

As they moved inside cutting off tentacles a body part twitched and sometimes moved as they walked by it.

Luke swallowed. "Jabba 'The Hutt' said we would slowly dissolve over thousand years inside the Sarlacc."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, over there," he said.

The two moved carefully over to the object Kyle had seen. It was a sight from a horror movie, parts of a human body. Tentacles were connected to the head and the lower part was pumping in a liquid inside the body to keep it alive.

"Am I crazy or is that alive?" Kyle asked and looked using the light of his blade. Most of the spine was dissolved. It had one working lung, no more. Peaking inside he could see no heart was left, it was dissolved. Yet liquid was pumping inside of it, liquid the Sarlacc gave it.

Luke nodded, putting his hand on the head. "Wake up," he said.

The head blinked and screamed. "Nooooo... Please kill me, kill me, we are trapped in its dream world. It's keeping us alive, you have to kill me." It looked with terror at them and then it fell asleep again.

Kyle quickly cut the head in half. "I can't think of even one enemy I would wish for this to happen to."

Luke nodded. "If Dawn saw anything like this on her way down the gullet, then..."

Kyle nodded. "She would suppress it. Hell I am going to try to forget this." He shivered. With all the things he had seen and done, this was on the top 5 of things he regret to ever have seen.

"I agree," Luke said. "Let's drop the bomb and get the hell out of here. It's already looking like a bad jump," he said using a spacer slang.

Kyle nodded, dropping a ready thermal detonator straight down into the acid pool of the main stomach. "It's acid protected. Let's hurry away from here. It's radius is around twenty meters. So we should be a minimum of two hundred meters away." He started to move real fast.

Luke blinked then followed.

The two warriors started to jump out, moving as fast as they could in the swamp.

Once they reached the two hundred meters Kyle pushed a button. "Now the timer has started."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I thought you activated it."

Kyle grinned. "I had. I put it on twenty four hours, unless I push the activator, then the time changed to five minutes."

Luke grinned. "You scared me."

Unknowing to the two warriors the Sarlacc had its own surprise. It was ready to launch it seeds to space. Nineteen seeds all in all. To do that, it created a huge amount of explosive material, which it had stored inside a chamber under the main stomach. During the launch the main chamber is the cannon that fires out the seeds to space and that's why most Sarlaccs die after giving birth. If the explosion does not kill them, they starve to death. Unless they have stored so much food inside their secondary stomachs that they survive until they can heal the destroyed main stomach.

All that raw primate explosive material, closely related to nitroglycerin, react in a dangerous way confronted with so much heat. It exploded.

Sitting in a safe position two hundred and fifty meters away were Luke and Kyle. What Kyle believed was a safe position proved to be false, as a mighty mushroom cloud rose above the Sarlacc when the explosive material of several tons suddenly exploded combined with the thermal detonator.

Kyle cursed, "Hell that's not good."

Luke just nodded in agreement.

Then they were knocked away from the hill they stood on, as the shock wave lifted them away and threw them into the swamp.

Inside the camp all looked into the direction of the explosion and Mara muttered, "Boys and their toys. Damn I wish I had gone with them."

Later

A tired, drained, wounded and burned Luke carried a wounded and burned Kyle back to camp. It was only his own skill in Jedi healing that allowed Luke to walk. Kyle was not as good in the skill and was deep inside a Jedi healing trance Luke had put him in.

The amused voice of Xander seemed to mock him. "Normally one little thermal detonator is all that's needed. But do tell me. How many did you guys use?"

Luke snorted. "One, only one. It must have a malfunction or Kyle got one of those military ones with a hundred meter radius."

Jaina shook her head. "Uncle Luke, Kyle does not make that kind of mistake, just like you would not mistake a TIE fighter for an X-Wing. Whatever caused the explosion to be that big must have been something other then that."

Dawn blinked. "O I know. The plant guy said the Sarlacc creates its own explosive material and uses it to launch its seeds into orbit," she said with a smile. "I wonder how much explosives are needed to fire off something to space."

R3 beeped as he shivered, a lot of explosive would be needed and if that was how the Sarlacc spread their seed there was no way the plant could survive that.

"At least this planet is free of that thing," Jaina said.

At the same time in space

Out of nineteen balls around the size of a human child only eleven had reached this far up. The rest was caught by the gravity and started to fall back down again. Without having a chance to harden and grow is protective armor they would burn up, but the eleven that reached space were blooming now. Huge, invisible to normal eyes, threads spread out from them, creating a thousand meter long sail around each little seed.

Slowly they captured the solar wind and started to move out into space.

The children of the Sarlacc were leaving and seeking a new home.

Meanwhile Han and Mace reached the small Freeport and after they parked the speeder they entered a small shop, where they bought everything they thought they could use in the camp and after they stored that all in the speeder Mace looked up and asked, "And what now?"

Han thought for a moment and then answered, "I think we should visit the Slippery Gelgelar Eel. In bar's you can always get the best rumors and information if you know what to listen for."

Mace just nodded and both stated to walk to the bar.

A few moments before they reached it Mace looked up and turned into the direction of Fenn's Landing bay. He concentrated for a moment and then said, "I feel a disturbance in the force."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Han and Mace reached Fenn's Landing bay quickly and while Han looked around Mace concentrated on the Force to find the disturbance again.

In the same moment as Han said in surprise, "Jan?" Mace looked directly at the man who stood beside the woman Han had identified as Jan.

Mace looked at Han and asked him quietly, "You know them?" Han nodded in reply and as he started to walk into their direction said, "Yes, the raven haired beauty is Jan Ors. She was an Alderaanian Intelligence Operative and after the planet was destroyed by the Empire she worked for the Rebel Alliance and worked together with Kyle. The man I've seen before as well, but I just can't remember his name right now. He was a member of the Red Sun Organization, but joined the Alliance as a special operative after their leader Ogun disappeared and the Organization fell apart. The Twi'lek beside him I have never seen before.

Just as he finished his explanation and before Mace could say anything they were spotted by Jan Ors and after a moment of shocked silence she threw herself at Han and hugged him quite fierce. Mace quickly relaxed after thinking the girl was attacking him and while the woman hugged Han he noted the amused smirk on the man's face.

"HAN," Jan yelled. "You old scoundrel are still alive. I've heard you were dead or imprisoned by the Empress," she said and hugged him a bit harder.

Han puffed out an "Air, I need air." Jan grinned and loosened her hug a bit and so Han could answer her. "As you can see I'm not dead, but the rumors about been imprisoned were right. I spent quite a while at the mercy of Leia and her Dark Jedi's mercy," he spat out, "but luckily I was freed a while ago. So what are you doing here girl?" he asked her.

"You know exactly why I'm here you old nerf herder. Where is he?" Jan said.

"Who?" Han asked in an innocent sounding tone.

"HAN!" Jan said a bit louder.

"OK, ok Jan he is nearby and you can join us, but first my friend here is Mace Windu and who are your friends?" Han said, but before Jan could say anything in reply the man who was with her stepped forward and after a formal bow to Mace said, "It's an honor to meet you again Master Windu. My Master thought you were killed in the fight with Palpatine."

Mace inspected the man for a moment and then replied, "Sorry I don't remember you. You're a Jedi?"

"I'm not surprised Master Windu. I was just a youngling of four years in the temple at the time Skywalker betrayed us. I and a few younglings were lucky that day, because Master Laureen had taken us out of the temple for an excursion and to answer your question, no, I'm not a Jedi. After the order was destroyed Master Laureen took us to her home planet and there we were trained to be members of the Grey Knights."

"Grey Knights?" Han asked.

Mace who looked a bit surprised about this bit of information nodded and said, "I think it's better if we explain that later in the camp so that we don't have to repeat it again.

Han nodded in agreement. Then he looked at the man and said, "I know I've seen you before, but I'm sorry I don't recall your name."

"No problem General Solo, we met only once in a strategic meeting. I'm Praiphex Verner and this stunning beauty," he said while pointing at the Twi'lek woman beside him, "is my wife and better half Kiara."

"An honor to meet you General Solo and Master Windu. So Kyle is actually here on the planet? That's good news and I look forward to see the scolding Jan will give him," Kiara said with a wicked grin.

A bit impatient Jan said, "Exactly, can we go now?"

With a grin Han said, "We actually finished the provision shopping we were doing and just wanted to pick up some news, but I guess you can tell us more than we could find out here. I hope you've a speeder in your ship so that you can follow us."

"No problem," Jan said, "Praiphex has one in his ship we can use."

While Praiphex nodded his wife said, "I'll stay here and join you later if you can give me your coordinates. I still have to finish a project I've on board which needs supervising for a day or two."

After all was cleared and Praiphex has gotten a brand new AV-21 Land speeder out of the ship all, bar Kiara, traveled back to the camp where the others stayed.

+D+

A bit later at the training camp

Xander looked up as he heard the sound of speeders coming into their direction. He quickly felt out with the force and he felt the presence of Han and Mace as well as the one of two unknown persons and one of those two was at least force sensitive.

While he used the force to check them out the others had joined them and now all were watching the two speeders land and then Han, Mace and two more people disembarked from them.

As Kyle saw the two he blanched and said, "Uhaaaa... I'm in trouble now."

All looked with a question at him, but before Kyle could say something else the woman of the two newcomers flew into his arms and gave him first a scorching kiss and then quite a hard slap.

While Kyle rubbed the burn on his face and the others were sniggering, the woman said, "The first was for being still alive and the last for letting me think you were dead, you moron."

"Sorry for spending time in an imperial prison, Jan," Kyle mumbled while he still couldn't believe the kiss Jan gave him.

Jan looked at him a bit softer now and then said, "That never stopped you before."

"This time was a bit different Jan and I left you a message as soon as I could," Kyle defended himself.

Jan huffed and turned to the others. "Sorry about that, had to get it out of my system. I'm Jan Ors a friend of Kyle and that tall guy over there is our friend Praiphex Verner, who helped me find you here."

Xander nodded at the two and then said, "Welcome to 'Camp Hell' then."

After Praiphex and Kyle clapped their arms in an old friendship Xander looked at the man and said, "The Force is flowing in you," and at seeing the man nodding he continued. "Good, while the others can unload the speeders I think we two and my wife Jaina need to talk about that, because I can feel you are neither Sith nor Jedi, but something else."

The man Jan introduced as Praiphex just nodded and then the three disappeared into one of the tents.

+D+

Next day, theory lessons

This time they were gathered inside one of the bigger tents, not only because of the rain, but also because this was the closest thing they had to a work shop.

"We're going to start teaching you the way of the Jesaarair. The Jensaarair is a sister or brother group of force users. They started when a group of Jedi broke away seeking hidden knowledge and they found it among scrolls of Sith teaching. In the beginning they removed all the dark side teaching. They removed the anger, the hatred and then they started to teach their own students," Jaina told them and then she was silent as she looked at Luke. "That ended as their leader, the first Saarai-kaar, fell in lust for power and turned to the dark side. He warned the rest of the Jensaarair that the Jedi order was after them and told them to hide while he took care of them. In reality he and his loyal guards murdered and stole valuable and dangerous artifacts. The Jedi order had to destroy him and his guards. The rest of the Jensaarair watched and believed the Jedi order were the criminals and the evil ones. Many years later our Luke and the present Saarai-kaar came to an understanding and the truth was discovered. The Jensaarair were still a light-side group of force users and they now hold chairs on the Jedi council. Just like we, the Jedi, have a chair on their ruling council and we were trained as honorary Jensaarair. We are going to show you some of their tricks. If you manage to find them and convince them to stop their fear of the Jedi you would gain a powerful ally."

Xander took over. "Jensaarair means follower of the truth and the truth to a Jensaarair is to serve and protect their own people. Saarai-Kaar is the leader of the Jensaarair she or he is the first of the councils. The title means keeper of the truth. Unlike Jedi the symbol of a fully trained Jensaarair is body armor." He looked at them for a moment and then continued. "That in itself is a symbol. The body armor is more of a shield to protect themselves with. The Jedi use a sword, a weapon of death as their symbol and that's how most of the Jensaarair see the Jedi, as followers of a dark path."

Luke seemed to twitch. He had seen the armor they used as a symbol of aggression, but it could be seen the other way around also.

Kyle was interested. "What is so remarkable about the armor then?"

Xander grinned. "If you open yourself up with the force you will find that the armor feels alive. That's because it's imbued with the force. Just like a lightsaber is and now you are wondering what the advantage of doing that is."

Kyle nodded. "You bet, I'm wondering."

Jaina grinned as she answered him. "Increased protection is one thing it offers us. What do you know about the dark side attack called Force Lightning?"

Luke who had suffered its affects answered. "It's painful and feels like your skeleton is trying to crawl out of you skin. I also had to use force healing as my skeleton was damaged day's and even a week after I was hit by hit."

Jaina nodded. "That's part of it. The force lightning keeps on damaging the body for days, week's even months after the attack happened until you die unless force healing or Bacta treatment is given. Worst is that no normal armor can protect against force lightning. It crawls inside you even if you wore a fully sealed armor space suite. It still gets itself inside. A lightsaber can be used to protect you, but it's tricky to do that."

"Force imbued armor gives you protection. The force lightning cannot crawl itself inside it. It has to force its way through the protection of the armor and force lightning does not actually do that much damage. It is mostly pain and a slow death. The light side version of Emerald lightning can do much more damage, but normal armor can protect you against Emerald lightning," Xander explained.

Kyle frowned. "Still force lightning sounds impressive." Xander shrugged. "Come with me," he said.

The Jedi all followed him into the rain.

Xander silently walked to the far side of the island. He looked at group of trees. "Watch," he said an took a deep breath summoning his anger, his rage and then lifted his hand and pointed it at a tree. He let his anger and rage free and in a wild thundering lightning storm it hit the tree. The tree burst out in fire as it almost exploded.

Mace found himself wincing as he watched the demonstration as memories of Palpatine's force lightening attack engulfed him. It was not something he wanted to remember, but seeing what Xander just did brought it all back. He noted Anakin's force ghost was also watching from beside him, looking pale and drawn even for a force ghost. He guessed he was thinking about it too. He had also suffered its effects during the Clone Wars as had many Jedi.

Xander calmed himself. "That was force lightning. The dark side and not something I should be doing. Each time you risk being trapped in the darkside. Luke, Jaina and I do have some protection against becoming trapped, but it can happen," he stated.

Kyle nodded with a look of understanding and only said, "Leia."

"Now watch," Xander said as he summoned the force again, this time only the light side. He pointed his hand and an emerald shining light burst out of it, straight towards the tree and made a big rock behind it explode from the force of the energy. "And that's emerald lightning. It's about 10 times more powerful then force lightning is, but in pure deadliness they are equal."

Kyle nodded weakly. "Why do you even use a blaster?" he asked meekly.

"Because channeling that much energy takes time and is draining on the body," Jaina replied while she looked up at the rain which was quite irritating. "Let's go inside."

Kyle stayed behind watching the two fallen trees. Force lightning was nothing in his mind compared to the awesome coolness of emerald lightning.

Inside the lesson started again.

"Right, force imbued armor gives you protection against force attack. You also know if it's broken or not, you'll feel it. I'm going to teach you how to do it and let you imbue armored body suites like the one I have on me. You can easily upgrade it if you like." He handed them a computer pad with the information written down.

"This will take time to do," Luke said with a frown.

Xander agreed. "Yes. But the advantages speak for themselves. Another skill we're going to teach you is 'Force Stealth'. Using it you can move without being sensed by the force, unless you're standing right in front of someone. A fully charged force stealth makes it difficult for a person to see you. Computers and droids have no problem detecting anybody using Force Stealth. Then there is Force Cloak which is based on Force Stealth. You have to master the stealth skill before you can learn Force Cloak and it's as it's named a cloak, you are totally invisible to all things alive or not alive, but it has its weakness."

"What is the weakness?" Luke wondered.

"For one thing you can not hurt anybody or anything while under Force Cloak. Even breaking up a computer or breaking security on a lock is impossible while cloaked. The reason I think is because you make a contract with life itself. It allows you to be invisible, but in return you may not hurt anything while invisible. It's also incredible difficult to activate during a fight. That's one reason we did not use it while saving Han and another is that if the enemy doesn't know about our Cloak ability they cannot be forewarned about it and make counter measures like installing pressure sensors in the floor," Xander explained.

"We have used Force Stealth so much that it's almost second nature to us. Force Cloak is also something we use to sneak inside enemies building. As long as the door is open we just walk inside. Nowadays most dark side users in our galaxy have invested in pressure sensitive floors to stop us from doing that," Jaina finished looking annoyed.

Xander nodded also annoyed over that fact. "Another skill is Ballistakinesis the art of using anything small as a projectile. You use the force to fire away an object so fast it can kill a human. You use the force to guide the missile to its target. It's not that useful against a Jedi who's prepared, but against non Jedi? Next will be 'Force Flight'. It gives you a Short distance flying ability, anywhere from 10 to 200 meters depending on your skill. I've seen a Force witch that was a true master on this skill. She can fly around two miles before she has to land. It's like an extended jump, but slower." He thought for a moment what else he could offer and then said, "Animal domination perhaps, if you're interested. It's the skill to mentally dominate an animal. You can tame almost any beast with this trick." He could see they were interested as he looked at their eager faces. "Learning how to make force imbued armor takes time. Jaina or I will have to work side by side with one of you at the time." He looked at Jade, Luke Kyle and the others. Normally he taught or showed them a force skill and helped them learn the basic of that one skill. Then they started with the next force skill. If they wanted to master that skill so well they actually could use it in a combat situation they would have to do that on their own time.

That way they would have a huge library of skills they could self train in later. This time that wouldn't work. "Dawn you already have your force armor so you're going to re-train yourself in you psionic abilities. There are more powers then just jumping between dimensions. It's time for you do discover them." He was taking a risk here, but it was a calculated one. "I'm going to show you exactly how that training will be conducted and there will be no playing around. Is that clear?"

Dawn nodded. "Yes sir," she said. While she barely remembered the two hundred meter long Dagger corvette she accidentally pulled with them during their first journey to the Star Gate universe had left a standing impression in her, seeing that many dead people often does that to people. She was actually afraid or rather extremely careful with her psi powers.

Kyle frowned that could be risky. Dawn did not look to be that careful. Luke blinked. Was Dawn looking afraid? He wondered what had happened to her. Jade wondered about that as well. The girl looked afraid but determined or something. What could make a person like Dawn afraid? Unlike Kyle she and Luke had read up on Dawn's disorder. Anything that could make somebody like Dawn permanently afraid must have been something big.

Luke put the questions about Dawn in the back of his head as he asked a more needed question. "Who's going to start doing the armor?"

Xander looked at all gathered around him and then replied, "I think you and Praiphex are. Out of all the students you two are the most advanced. Most of what we can teach you two already know." He looked at the other Jedi. "What we do with you is more or less a refreshment course," he grinned. "We're going to take turns teaching Jade and Kyle while we instruct you two in the basic know how of doing the armor and in the meantime Mace has offered to help teach with a few of the other skills that are important for a Jedi so don't think there will be much time to slack off."

Luke and Praiphex nodded a bit unsure at the smile Xander gave them.

Xander rubbed his hands together. "Right, this is force armor 101. The simpler you make the armor the shorter the time to built it. Just like if you make a lightsaber. The processes are similar and related. It's also called force alchemy as we change the nature of the material itself. Alchemy can also be used on living beings, but I do not know the exact nature of that personally. I do know that the Sith liked to play with life forms. Kyle you did see my monster sofa. That was a Sith Alchemy monster I had to fight. A Force Guardian, turned Mandalorian, and I fought side by side. It took all we had just to bring it down. It was a Terantatek," he explained. "Right, back to the armor. As this is the first armor you make we decided for you to make it simple. After all armor has a tendency to break if you use it the correct way. That's what they are therefore after all, break before you own body breaks and the ritual, once you master it, takes less and less time if the object you imbued with the force is almost identical. The first time I made my armor with all the life support electronics and things it took almost a month. Nowadays it takes two or three days to imbue a replacement armor," he said and as he looked up he saw Jade looking at him a bit confused.

"If you use it the correct way?" she asked in a wondering tone.

Xander smiled the smile of a predator. "The armor is not just to protect you. It's also a weapon and a tool. Instead of parrying an attack you can take the hit and retaliate with you lightsaber and while the enemy is trying to kill you, you kill him instead. The same thing goes for other things. You shoulder armor and back armor gives you the ability to crash open doors or to glide on you back while you're escaping or fighting an enemy. Moving like that would hurt you without the armor's protection."

Jade nodded. "I get it," she said. "Storm troopers are trained in using their armor to smash open simple doors. They are also trained to slow down their fall during jumps from high moving shuttles with only a backpack-repulsor and using the armor to soften the landing and a few other methods I heard off." She did not say what type of methods they used because nobody would believe her if she told them, perhaps Kyle and maybe Praiphex would, but they would be the only ones.

The special elite storm troopers were also trained in jumping from extreme heights using something called a parachute instead of a backpack-repulsor. Most enemy sensors did long range sweeps for just repulsors and heat signatures so using a backpack-repulsor or a rocket pack would not be that useful if you want to land unnoticed, but the parachute was a wing made of a soft silk like material that used aerodynamics to slow down the falling soldier. Only somebody who had seen it would believe that something that crazy exists.

+D+

Later

As Jade and Kyle started with Xander to instruct them and showing them more skills this time with deeper instructions, Jaina talked with Luke and Praiphex.

On the table before them were the objects they were talking about, two soft armor jump suits with a helmet. "This is a basic armor suite we use," Jaina said to her Uncle and Praiphex. "Yours are much simpler than ours are. That's because Xander and I teach our students to start with a simple armor and if they like wearing and using the armor then we teach them to upgrade and improve it. Infusing electronics with the force is always tricky and so it is better that they start with simple armor and work their way up. The Jensaarair do it the other way around. On the other hand, a Jensaarair student most likely spends years thinking and testing what type of armor he or she likes."

Luke nodded taking his hand to tenderly feel the material. "How good is this?" he wondered aloud.

Jaina shrugged. "Depends on the type of attack. The suit can handle most light blaster pistols without you feeling anything. It can survive at least one hit by a heavy blaster, you would be hurt, but survive. More than that is not a good idea. It's hard to cut, but force-pikes, lightsabers and light-foils will cut it asunder with no problem. Vibro-weapons are also able to slice it with almost no resistance. Normal non powered daggers and swords it can resist quite well, the same goes for explosives or simple bullets." She grinned. "It's an effective expensive light armor body suite. We tough about getting some spun cortosis fibers, but that would make it more difficult. So instead we're going to give you spun cortosis fibers and if you like to include it on your armor and imbue it with the force you can do it on you own time."

Luke frowned and asked, "Cortosis fiber?" Jaina blinked "Oh well. Most Jedi and Sith try to keep the existence of that substance a secret. Spun cortosis is a raw mineral that has the amazing ability to short circuit a light-saber. Contact with cortosis forces a lightsaber to shut down and you have to activate it again. The down side is each time the armor is hit some of the cortosis is burned off and heat explosions also tend to burn the stuff away. Xander and I have to constantly put new cortosis on our armors. In the end we just stopped, it got to expensive."

Luke nodded. "I heard about cortosis blades, but that sounds like a different thing then."

"No, not quite, Cortosis mixed with a different metal creates an alloy that can parry energy blades. The downside here is that cortosis alloy blades are brittle and easy to shatter, but it's the greatest energy resistance alloy that exists. Other alloys and metal like Phrik do exist, but are even rarer or it's secret of manufacture it is too well hidden like Mandalorian steel. Vibro-weapons can be forged using a Cortosis alloy a thin layer cortosis covering a stronger metal and you have a superior weapon or you forge a pair of gauntlets or a shield out of the alloy that can block lightsabers," she explained with a grin.

Luke nodded. "I think about it," he said. Perhaps gloves or something, but the whole suite sounds like too much trouble to be worth it."

Jaina looked at Praiphex and asked him, "And you?"

"I have to agree with Luke. A whole armor with the fibers sounds to be too much trouble to be worth it and so I'll go for some bracers. Could surprise someone with a lightsaber if you engage him unarmed," he said with a smirk.

Jaina nodded and then they started to work.

Jaina was right Luke decided. This reminded him about attuning a lightsaber to the force. Yet it had many differences. One most glaring was that this was a ritual that could easily be adapted to other things not only armors.

By the time Dinner was to be served Luke and Praiphex had mastered her lessons and they were ready to do the ritual. A basic suite like this could take up to a week depending on the skill, the power and the ability to understand technology, so they would start the next day.

Out of all students they had, Luke needed training the least followed by Praiphex and than the rest, but Luke also was the student that needed most help out of them all. Danni and Xander had talked about it and the two of them had agreed that putting Luke in isolation while making his armor like, that would help cleans him of his fears and Praiphex would do it with Kyle and Mara so that he could help them if needed.

Jaina was not totally convinced.

After dinner the normal weapon drills continued as normal, Candace, combat training, team work and solo combat. As always it was a hard and focused training.

Xander, after taking some time to clean of the dirt, walked to Dawn. "Hi, did you manage to do anything?" he asked sitting down beside her.

Dawn nodded with a thoughtful look on her face. "I did. The Key has turned into a psi power and I did find it inside me. It's more than just navigating and opening holes between dimensions, but what those other powers do, I have no idea," she replied shivering. "This is dangerous. Why have you not tried anything? I know you have something similar to me."

Xander nodded. "I do. The Void that was implanted inside me and you are correct, it has slowly been integrated itself into me as something that could be called a psi power. Your gifts are many times stronger then mine are and the void inside me is not completely a psi gift either, it's not a natural part of my body. Your key powers are a natural part of your body, making the psi ability a true natural ability most likely enhanced by the presence of the key."

Dawn frowned. "Are you saying the key and my Psi ability are two different things?" Xander swallowed as he thought about the correct answer. "Yes and no. Your body has carried the Key for so long that it's a natural part of you. In our original home Willow said your Witch powers would have been different, because of the key giving you a strange gift of internal magic. The same in our reality, Witch magic doesn't exist only the force exists. The key changed that and gave you not only the force as a replacement for the Witch magic, but Psionic as a replacement for the internal magic that it had to replace."

Dawn nodded. "Oh. I get it. So I have a psi ability that mimics what the key can do in a less powerful version." She took a deep breath and continued. "Only the key is still inside me, linked to my soul and my body. My Psi ability makes it more powerful then it should be, right?" she asked.

Xander nodded. "I think so. Just remember PSI-Power and PSI ability are two different things. Just because the Key improves your ability to jump between dimensions does not mean it improves your ability to navigate between them or do other smaller things using you PSI ability."

Dawn opened her mouth and then closed it again. "So what do you oh master of mine think I could do?"

"PSI teleportation and the ability to summon objects you own from a far distance. The trouble here is, will the Key be in the way or help you? That's something you have to figure out," Xander explained.

"What about you?" Dawn asked.

Xander smiled. "I checked. I don't have a PSI ability just the void that seems to give me some rare jumping ability. You have those gifts." He looked at the watch and then said, "Dawn, better meditate before bed."

Dawn nodded. "Sure," she said.

Jade was nearby and trying to steal as much information from Luke as possible using her female charm. So that she could show how good a student she was. Depressing enough Luke willingly helped her, giving her all the information for free, so much for her talents of seduction. Damn farm boys... sometimes they are no fun.

And as the next morning came Luke walked inside, isolating himself as he drew on the force to make himself his armor.

+D+

(Coruscant)

Leia watched as Jenna pushed the Dark Jedi to their limits, she was beginning to grow concerned about how she could no longer see the future. It was clouded and difficult to navigate now, clearly whatever Luke and whoever was with him were doing was enough to change everything she had once been able to see so clearly and that angered her. Kaira stood beside her in the strongest suit of body amour that could be made. Leia was worried about loosing her lover and so had her Sith armorers create the suit. One for Kaira and one for her, it would stand up even to a couple of lightsaber hits. This should give them an edge against Luke and whatever pitiful handful of Jedi he had managed to train. She reached out with the force again, but was again frustrated as she could found nothing at all. Any plans she had to attack the rebellion before they struck were for naught because they couldn't find them. Wherever Lando and the others had hidden it was very secure. Any rebel captured either killed himself or refused to talk up to the point where his bodies finally gave out and died anyway.

Clearly the Rebels were aiming for the end game where it became all or nothing. A brief memory flashed in her mind as she recalled being in such a situation with them before they had fought the last battle against the Emperor and Darth Vader. She dismissed the memory with a frown, that was her past and this was her future. She would succeed where her father had failed, where even the almighty Emperor had failed and crush the Rebellion. Then she and Kaira would rule the galaxy, and if Luke refused to join her then she would in the end have to kill her twin as well. She savagely crushed the revulsion and horror a part of her felt as she came to this choice, nothing could get in her way now.

+K+

(Rebellion Hideout)

Lando and Ackbar watched as the new recruits continued to train and train hard. Every one of them was committed to the goal of bringing the new Empire down and finally freeing the galaxy from the evil of the Sith. Soon they would regroup with Luke, Han and whoever else was with them and they would launch their assault.

"How do you think they are shaping up?" Lando inquired.

"I'd trust my life to any of them. They are as committed as any other Rebel I have served with," Ackbar responded. "The new bridge crews I have trained for the new ships are some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of training. They easily match up against the Empire crews," he said confidently.

"Good to hear it, by the time Luke joins up with us we should have a larger fleet than we had during the battle of Endor," Lando concluded. "Some of the men are kitting out one of the new X-wings for Luke, Rogue Squadron wants him to lead them into the fight," he told his friend.

"That will depend on Luke. Still it might not be a bad idea," Ackbar replied. "Luke is one of the most gifted pilots I have ever seen and together with Rogue Squadron they should be able to break through anything," he suggested.

"Guess we will see when Luke gets here what he wants to do," Lando said before he turned and headed off to his meeting with Wedge and Jaxs.

Ackbar watched him go before he turned and headed of to the command deck to check the latest reports from their spies. He hoped this was the last time any of them would have to do this kind of thing. He wanted to finally be able to settle down with his family and live in peace. A dream he knew many shared and at one time Leia herself had wanted. He felt great sorrow to see what Leia had become. She had once been the shining beacon of the Rebellion and now she was everything they thought against.

'Such a shame,' he thought as he walked.

+K+

Two months later

The island looked different now then when they had arrived. Less trees and plants were left because of the damage they had taken from the training fights.

R3 finished up his last check. Everything was packed down, tenth, heaters, nothing forgotten by the organic people. He sometimes worried about them, they were always rushing into danger. What would Master Xander do if he and R6 were not constantly there to hold their hands? Thinking about it he wished he could have a short talk with R2D2. "That droid of Luke's let his master run around without any kind of guidance. R2 should be ashamed of himself," he mentioned to his friend.

R6 nodded and then beeped out. "You had this argument with our version of R2D2. It did not help then. Why do you think its going to help now? Not all organics are as easy to train as ours are. Besides knowing how careless Master Jaina and Master Xander are. Do you really think the two of us are somebody to preach about teaching organics to behave well?"

R3 seem to sulk. "It's the principle. At least they listen when we say something." R6 sighed. "You do what you wish. You always have. R5 any comment?" he asked the newest member of the droid crew.

The depressed R5 just glared at them. "No, it's useless. With any hope the careless organic will cause us all to die. I just wish they memory wipe me. Life was so much happier before my personality started to evolve."

R3 and R6 sighed. Among the Astromech droids a good 25 % of all R5 unites suffered from mental problems. That was because of a construction error inside their personality matrix. During the design of the R5 the company had cut corners to produce a droid that was cheaper in price then the R2 or R3 models was and more useful then the R4 model was. The end result was a droid that far too often ended up with depression and anxiety and out of all droids in the Galaxy Dawn just had to find one that seemed to be constantly depressed.

Danni walked over to them. "Oh there you are. Is everything packed up or did we miss anything?" she asked.

R3 peeped out the answer real slow. Danni listen carefully she was not as good at this as Xander was, but she could understand him. "Oh that's fine. I hope you guys are just as happy as I'm getting out of these muddy swamps."

All three of the Astromech droids beeped an agreement to that.

"You know R5, Dawn has wondered if we could construct a backup memory for you. To make sure nobody memory wipes you. What do you say about that?" Danni asked the small droid.

The sound of R5 screaming "NO" in horror was heard and understood by every life form around in quite a area.

A short distance away Dawn blinked. "I didn't think a droid could scream like that. Wonder what happened?"

"Nothing, concentrate," Xander ordered. Dawn nodded and obeyed almost.

Xander ignored it for now. "Right, we spent almost three months now. There is nothing more I can teach you. Luke and Praiphex you two already know all that I can teach you and what I can't teach you are things you need to learn by yourself."

Then he turned to Kyle who sat with Jan snuggled into him at the table. "Kyle, there are plenty of things I could teach you, but our time is running out. If we stay here much longer our enemies will find us or worse gain too much power. You have the discipline and intelligence to learn by yourself or allow Luke or Praiphex to help you."

Luke nodded. "It is time to move out then."

Xander agreed. "It is. You have made your armor and if you like to use it or not is up to you. But the Jedi during the old times, around four thousand years ago, often used armor. Then it became political incorrect as the Jedi order became more involved with politics then war. We no longer live in a civilized society."

Kyle looked grim but nodded. "When do we leave?" His armor was simple, effective and camouflage painted.

"Today after breakfast," Xander said. He still had to check the status of the skiff with Buffy.

+K+

At the same time on a repulsor skiff

"I'm the best at repulsor repairs," Buffy growled as she removed some plants that were growing inside the power conducts. "If anybody can find and repair anything broken it's you, Buffy." She whined. "Stupid swamp world." She growled as she stood up. Alright once she removed the moss, the stupid fish and lizards. The foot long spiders and weird birds with lips that all made a home inside their skiff. She was almost sure it would fly. She narrowed her eyes. "Hell you are going to fly. Because I am Buffy the Force Guardian former Slayer and repulsor engineer, I will not give up." growling in fury she started again. Stupid lip birds, stupid swamp world. "I'll be lucky if I get this piece of junk flying by tomorrow." She whined.

Kiara who was watching the young human woman cursing and whining said, "You know Buffy, if you had cared for the skiff every evening like Praiphex and I told you would be wise you wouldn't have that problem now.

Buffy looked up at her and mumbled, "Wiseass."

Kiara grinned again and asked, "You want some help?"

Buffy nodded thankful and so the two woman fixed up the skiff for the next few hours while gossiping about their males.

+K+

Later after dinner as the repulsor skiff lifted off and was flying them back to civilization Luke couldn't help himself as he stared back at the rapidly vanishing island and he was thinking about Leia and how he had failed her.

But not all sheared his gloomy outlook. Buffy was happy. She and Kiara had done a miracle. The skiff was flying and it was all because of her and Kiara she mused while she watched the AV-21 piloted by Jan and her new friend Kiara. Damn she would love to pilot one of those or the swoop from Praiphex. That swoop was one hell of a 'bike' and when he had some time off while he worked and trained with the others he had shown her a few nice tricks and shared a few nice tuning tricks and tips for swoops and other engines.

Kyle was smirking now and then he seemed to test his skill stretching out with the force to sense things he was always amazed when he found Jan with his senses and how she seemed to glow. If he was truthful with himself he had fallen for her the first time he had seen her, but at that time with all the trouble and fight against the Empire he never seemed to have the time to follow that up and now years later he was fighting against an Empire again, but this time with the knowledge that this beautiful and intelligent woman in the speeder beside them felt love for him as well. He had no clue where all this would lead, but he wouldn't wait years again.

Dawn well she was trying to make R5 be more positive and to accept having a backup memory unit installed. The droid was whining and begging for somebody to end its suffering. Could she not see he was depressed? Could she not understand his pain?

Jade sneaked her arms around Luke. "We will win Luke. We are on our way now." Her green eyes seemed to glitter amused. Luke nodded letting his own skill in the force sense the future. Slowly he nodded and said, "It's still a dark road and a lot of things are uncertain, but together we can do it." He snuggled up beside her and was remembering the photo Xander had shown them of Ben Skywalker, his and Jade counterparts child.

He may not be a Jedi Master yet, but he was a Jedi Knight and the days of training were over and it was time to become a master of the force. Jaina set course back for the world Luke had found and where supposedly a horde of Jedi were training under the old Jedi Master Ood Bnar who had turned himself into a tree to stop Jedi artifacts from falling into Sith hands during the great Sith wars.

Mace Windu stared out of the window and wondered if he finally would see the Sith defeated and the rebirth of the Jedi and the Republic, even if he died during the struggle it would be worth it he decided.

List of Characters in this fic:

Ackbar - Rebel Admiral

Antilles, Wedge - Rebel Ace Pilot and General

Bnar, Ood - Jedi Master, tree guardian of the Jedi world

Calrissian, Lando - Rebel General

Harris-Solo, Danni - Wife to Xander and Jaina

Harris-Solo, Jaina - Wife of Xander and Danni

Harris-Solo, Xander - Jedi Master, Husband of Jaina and Danni

Jade, Mara - Force Sensitive training to be a Knight and girlfriend to Luke

Jaxs - Rebel Commander

Jenna, Sith capture team commander

Kaira - Sith Lord, lover of Leia

Kartan, Kyle - Former Imperial Special Forces, Force Sensitive in training to Knight

Kenobi, Obiwan - Force Ghost

Kragg and Vega -Empire Admirals

Organa, Leia - Empress of the New Empire

Ors, Jan - former Alderaanian intelligence operative, Pilot for Kyle, in love with Kyle

Rona - Force Guardian

Skywalker, Anakin - Force Ghost

Skywalker, Luke - Jedi Knight, Ace Pilot

Solo, Han - Ex-General, Smuggler

Summers-Finn, Buffy - Force Guardian

Summers, Dawn - Sister to Buffy, Jedi Padawan

Verner, Kiara - Wife to Praiphex, Starship Engineer, Master of Teräs Käsi

Verner, Praiphex - Force-Sensitive calls himself a Grey Knight, Smuggler, Mechanic

Windu, Mace - Jedi Master from before the Empire

Yoda - Force Ghost

Zars, Rebel Colonel


End file.
